Mirwaiz expresses concern over continued violation of religious rights in IIOJK
Says attempts being made to erase Kashmiri Muslims’ religious, cultural identity
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has expressed deep concern over the continued violation of religious rights of Kashmiri Muslims by the BJP-led Indian government, saying that as on previous occasions, Eid prayers were not allowed at the historic Jamia Masjid and Eidgah in Srinagar, which is extremely painful.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing a gathering in Srinagar, Mirwaiz said, “The greatest danger to any society is when abnormal things begin to appear normal.” He said that when Kashmiri Muslims are repeatedly denied the opportunity to gather peacefully for prayers year after year, there is s risk that future generations may begin to accept it as normal. “It is not,” he asserted.
Mirwaiz said there is nothing normal about a historic Eidgah remaining silent on Eid morning or a Jamia Masjid being closed to worshippers on one of the most sacred days of the Islamic calendar. He added that there is nothing normal about a community being separated from traditions that have defined its religious life for centuries.
He further said that the situation becomes more distressing when people are not even allowed to raise their voice against such injustices, as restrictions, bans, threats and arrests are being used to silence dissent.
He said what concerns him is not only the action of those who impose such restrictions, but also the growing silence around it.
Criticising the elected National Conference-led government in the territory, Mirwaiz said it should have raised its voice against such religious injustices. He said that watching as mere spectators, pleading powerlessness while benefitting from their positions, they cannot remain silent when the religious institutions and rights of the people that elected them are under assault. It is their basic duty, he added, to stand up to it and at least raise their voice.
He said silence has far-reaching consequences, as it hollows out institutions, disempowers people and deepens their sense of loss. Mirwaiz said what is happening in IIOJK amounts to a gradual attempt to erode the religious, cultural and historical identity of the people.
He said the issue concerns the very existence and survival of the people and therefore it requires serious reflection from all sides.
At the same time, Mirwaiz urged people not to allow disappointment to turn into despair. He said the teachings of Islam provides hope and strength even in difficult times. The history of this land, he added, shows that despite repeated onslaughts, institutions have endured because people continued to cherish and protect them in their hearts and memory.
“As long as that faith remains alive within, no restriction can erase it,” he said.
