Mirwaiz placed under house arrest, barred from Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid
Srinagar,: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was once again placed under house arrest today, preventing him from offering the congregational prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Mirwaiz, who traditionally delivers the Friday sermon at the grand mosque located in the Nowhatta locality of the city, was scheduled to do so today. However, New Delhi-installed IIOJK administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha placed him under detention at his Nigeen residence in Srinagar, barring his entry into the mosque for the second consecutive Friday.
Taking to social media platform X, the Mirwaiz wrote: “Yet again, this Friday put under house arrest and barred from offering prayers at Jama Masjid. It is both heartbreaking and outrageous that authorities continue to trample on my basic religious rights at their will.”
Expressing growing concern over religious repression in India, he added: “As things are fast regressing for Muslims in this country [India]—the latest being the highly marginalising Waqf Bill—it doesn’t seem far-fetched that soon permissions may be sought and permits issued after verification, for Muslims to enter their mosques or be buried in their graveyards.”
The Mirwaiz also shared a resolution adopted by the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), a united platform of religious organisations in IIOJK, condemning the Waqf Amendment Act. The resolution, intended to be read aloud during Friday congregations across mosques, shrines, and Imambaras in IIOJK, expresses alarm over provisions in the new law that the Muslim community views as a threat to the religious and autonomous character of Waqf institutions in India.
The MMU had earlier attempted to hold a meeting on the matter this Wednesday but was denied permission by the authorities.
Reacting strongly to the continued house detention of the Mirwaiz, the Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid said this was part of a deliberate campaign to muzzle religious freedom and marginalize the role of Kashmir’s top cleric. “This undemocratic and hostile approach is causing immense anguish to the Muslims of Kashmir, and it is a grave violation of religious and civil liberties,” the Auqaf body said in a statement.
