Grand Mufti announces to observe ‘Youm-e-Targheeb-e-Hajj’ on Friday
India pushing policy to keep Kashmiris away from religious duties
Srinagar : Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Grand Mufti Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam has expressed serious concern over the continued decline in Hajj applications from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir over the last few years.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Grand Mufti has announced Friday as “Youm-e-Targheeb-e-Hajj” and the entire next week as “Hajj Awareness Week” across the occupied territory.
In a special message, Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam said Hajj is not an optional act but one of the five pillars of Islam, obligatory for every Muslim who is financially, physically and logistically capable. “With deep regret I have to say that Hajj applications from Jammu and Kashmir have been falling continuously for the past few years. People are not submitting applications for various reasons,” he said.
The Grand Mufti noted that private Hajj operators have still not been allotted any quota, and even in the past their quota remained limited.
The Mufti urged imams, scholars, religious organizations, seminaries and media to play their role in spreading awareness about the importance of Hajj. He called for special Friday sermons on Hajj and awareness programs and camps in every district. He also announced that Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Personal Law Board will soon convene a grand meeting of scholars to discuss issues facing Hajj and reasons for the decline in applications.
It is worth mentioning here that the BJP’s Hindutva regime has deprived Kashmiris of religious as well as other rights and is pursuing a systematic policy to keep Kashmiri Muslims away from religious obligations.
Last year, less than 3,000 people from IIOJK were able to perform Hajj, and a similar situation is visible this year. Since August 2019, the BJP regime has intensified its policy to push Kashmiris to the wall by seizing their homes, lands, business centers and properties to make them financially unstable.
All natural resources have been snatched from Kashmiris, leading to more poverty, while the unemployment rate is rising day by day. The local economy has also been curbed with huge taxes. The apple industry, the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, is being deliberately destroyed. Apples and other fruit are being sold in Delhi and other markets at throwaway prices. Mysterious incidents of apple orchards being cut down at night have become routine, with hundreds of trees felled in a single night.
Kashmiris suspect the involvement of Indian troops in these acts aimed at depriving orchardists of their livelihood.
The Grand Mufti said the basic reason behind the fall in Hajj applications is the financial distress of Kashmiris caused by these occupation policies.
