MMU rejects attempt by Waqf Board to prescribe Friday sermons
Omar calls BJP's move to interfere in religious affairs 'unacceptable'
Srinagar: The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) has rejected reports of a uniform sermon to be prescribed by the Waqf Board for Friday prayers in mosques in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement issued in Srinagar, the MMU, headed by senior APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said that even the suggestion is ridiculous and unacceptable.
The amalgam said the pulpit is meant for religious guidance and it is the domain of Ulema, Imams and recognised religious institutions, rooted in Islamic scholarship and the traditions of different schools of thought.
The state or government cannot assume for itself the authority to determine religious discourse or interfere in matters of faith and religious practice.
The statement added that the move will be a forcible state intrusion into the religious sphere and will be against the principles of freedom of religious practice.
The MMU asked the Waqf Board to remain within its administrative responsibility of management, maintenance and protection of Waqf properties, rather than creating unnecessary controversy.
Meanwhile, IIOJK Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a post on X called on the Waqf Board chairperson to stop the initiative, describing it as unacceptable. “This is an unacceptable attempt by the BJP to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims and will not be accepted under any circumstances. The BJP appointed Chairperson must immediately halt this misplaced attempt to please her masters,” he wrote.
National Conference chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq on Tuesday demanded the withdrawal of the order, questioning the BJP’s authority to determine what imams and khateebs should say during religious congregations.
It is worth mentioning that the Modi regime has taken charge of the Waqf Board through its own people to advance its Hindutva agenda in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims.
