‘Denied access’ to Jamia Masjid on Fridays, Mirwaiz urges J&K L-G govt. to relook policy of ‘detention’

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq urges J&K L-G to restore his religious rights by granting access to Jamia Masjid on Fridays.

Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was allowed to attend Friday prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid only thrice since 2019 in September, has urged the J&K Lieutenant Governor’s administration to “relook the policy of detention and restore his religious rights” by granting access to the mosque on Fridays.

“I believe that repression of any kind, including on religious rights, cannot bring or maintain peace. Those in-charge of decision-making should revisit this policy, considering historical precedents and adopting a long-term perspective,” Mr. Farooq said. 

He accused the L-G administration of disallowing him to leave his residence in Srinagar’s Nigeen area on Fridays. “There is no reason provided by the authorities for the move,” Mr. Farooq told The Hindu. 

“It’s painful to stay away from the pulpit of the mosque as a religious leader. I have the religious obligation to deliver sermons and hundreds of worshippers wait for it. The move is an assault on the institution of the Mirwaiz,” he added.

Earlier this year, Mr. Farooq was allowed to deliver his customary sermons at the Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, for three Fridays in September. It was for the first time since he was put under house arrest in 2019, when the Centre ended J&K’s special Constitutional position.   

Security agencies, worried about the possible fallout of the current Israel-Palestine conflict, again decided to disallow Friday prayers at the 600-year-old mosque in the old city. In the past two weeks, however, Friday prayers have been allowed but Mr. Farooq remain barred from attending or leading it.  

Mr. Farooq said the authorities whimsically open or close the central Jamia Masjid to Muslims for prayers without accountability. “No one can inquire why,” he added.