Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- The government of the United Arab Emirates has prohibited the public use of loud vuvuzelas, the horn made popular by World Cup fans.
It said any vuvuzelas louder than 100 decibels will be forbidden in stadiums because that level could damage the ear, going against the Islamic ruling of "never do or cause any harm".
Smaller vuvuzelas making less noise will still be allowed, the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment said in a fatwa, or religious edict, issued this week.
"If these horns need to be used in the stadiums, they should limit that to the use if the small-sized vuvuzelas that have relatively low noise," the authority said.
"There have been many reports in the media about complaints against the use of these horns in stadiums because of the deafening noise that they generate and there were incidents where the coach failed to relay instructions to his team players because of the noise of these devices," it said. "So despite the fact that the football stadiums are not a place for quietude, we believe that the viewers need to express their support for their teams in a manner that should not cause any harm to any of the attendees, noting that the authorization to use the vuvuzelas is at the discretion of relevant authorities".
The fatwa said importers and traders have a duty to ensure vuvuzelas cannot go above the 100-decibel limit.
