Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was allegedly denied permission to lead Friday prayers at Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid, days after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) banned the political party Awami Action Committee (AAC) headed by Mr. Farooq. Several local leaders condemned the move.
A spokesman of the Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, the caretaker body of the mosque, the Mirwaiz was placed under house arrest on Friday morning and “prevented from delivering the sermon and offering the congregational prayers”.
Terming the move as “arbitrary and unjustified”, the spokesman said, “At a time when the holy month of Ramzan is going on, Jama Masjid is the central place of worship where thousands gather for Friday prayers. Barring Mr. Farooq from fulfilling his religious duties and preventing the faithful from benefiting from his sermons deeply hurts the religious sentiments of the people.”
The Auqaf demanded immediate release of Mr. Farooq and “freedom to carry on with his religious obligations”. Heads of several mosques, shrines, and imambaras “strongly condemned the house arrest of the Mirwaiz”.
Condemning the restriction imposed on Mr. Farooq, Shia cleric Masroor Ansari said, “The arbitrary and unjustified action of authorities to place the Mirwaiz under house arrest and prevent him from performing his religious duties during the holy month of Ramadan is an undue interference in the religious sphere of the people.”
This story was originally published in thehindu.com. Read the full story here.
