People should actively participate in Majlis-e-Ulema’s social reform initiatives: Mirwaiz
Srinagar: Senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has urged people in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to support and actively participate in the social reform initiatives recently adopted by the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing the Friday congregation at the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar today, Mirwaiz referred to the recent Ulema conference and said that religious scholars from different areas and schools of thought discussed key issues facing society, including drug addiction, suicides and emotional stress among youth, misuse of social media, weakening family bonds, environmental degradation, and social brotherhood and harmony.
He said that conferences and resolutions alone could not bring about change unless people themselves became part of the effort. He stressed the need to translate these concerns into practical action at the level of families, mosques, neighbourhoods and communities.
Quoting a verse from the Holy Quran, “Indeed, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves,” Mirwaiz said meaningful reform must begin from within and society cannot always wait for others to act.
He said, “Collectively, we have to think, reflect and act. Ulema, parents, youth, mosques, madrasas and the wider community and sceptically parents have a role to play.” Social reform, he added, must become a shared responsibility.
Mirwaiz said that common social issues would be taken up in Friday sermons across participating mosques so that sustained attention could be brought to matters affecting society. He appealed to people to support these efforts and carry the discussion forward within their homes and communities.
He also reiterated that the pulpit is a trust and should be used to guide people, unite hearts, promote mutual respect and address the real concerns of society, rather than deepen sectarian divisions.
Mirwaiz said lasting change would only be possible when people themselves participated in the process of reform and take responsibility for improving their homes, neighbourhoods and communities.
Mirwaiz also apprised the congregation of his recent meetings with Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during which he conveyed solidarity with the Iranian people and discussed the deep historical, cultural and religious ties between Kashmir and Iran.
He said the Iranian leadership had shown interest in visiting Kashmir, and that he had extended an invitation to them to visit the territory.
