Mirwaiz barred from Friday prayers again

SRINAGAR: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq , Kashmir’s chief cleric and chairman of Hurriyat Conference , was placed under house arrest and not allowed to offer Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid .

“Every Friday, I am put under arbitrary house arrest,” Mirwaiz said. J&K police had not issued any statement on the arrest, although Mirwaiz has been put in such confinement ahead of Friday prayers on several occasions.

Mirwaiz alleged that the aim was to put pressure on him not to speak at the prayers. “The ban (on sermons) aims to weaken the centrality of Muslim institutions of the Valley, Jamia Masjid, office of Mirwaiz, and cause collective grief to Muslims and all those who oppose this authoritarian and sectarian outlook,” Mirwaiz added.

Since his release in Sept 2023 after prolonged house arrest following abrogation of Article 370, Mirwaiz has been allowed to offer Friday prayers at times and barred on other occasions. Police usually don’t come up with any statement on the issue.

This time, governing National Conference (NC) spokesman Tanvir Sadiq described the curbs on Mirwaiz as “unjust.” “Preventing a religious leader from carrying out his religious obligations is deeply unjust. Genuine normalcy must extend to everyone without exception,” Sadiq posted.

Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, which manages the mosque, expressed “deep anguish”. It pointed out that this was the fourth consecutive Friday when Mirwaiz had been barred from prayers. “These actions cause immense hurt and distress to Muslim community of J&K and all those who value justice, religious freedom, and democratic principles,” Anjuman said.