What if mosques could save lives? The ingenious idea from Indonesia

In Indonesia, scientists had an idea as simple as it was ingenious: using mosque loudspeakers to alert residents in the event of an earthquake. A promising project revealed by the British daily The Guardian.

Indonesia is regularly hit by violent earthquakes. To better protect populations, Japanese and Indonesian researchers are experimenting with an alert system using mosque loudspeakers.

The idea is simple: when an earthquake is detected by the sensors, mosques could automatically broadcast an alert message, a few seconds before the arrival of the most dangerous tremors.

These few seconds could be enough to save lives.

The advantage is considerable. With its hundreds of thousands of mosques, Indonesia already has an immense network of loudspeakers, including in the most remote villages, where residents do not always have access to the internet or a smartphone. According to The Guardianthis project, led in particular by researchers from the University of Kyoto, is part of a scientific cooperation program between Japan and Indonesia. Several mosques are already participating in the experiments.

The device is still in the testing phase, but the idea brings hope. What if tomorrow, mosque loudspeakers were no longer only used to call to prayer, but also to protect and save lives? A beautiful illustration of the role that mosques can play in the service of all of society.