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Mirwaiz barred from Friday prayers at Jamia Mosque
In a statement, Mirwaiz said that after his release on September 22 following four years of house detention since August 2019, he was only permitted to go to the Jamia Masjid for three Fridays
The chief priest of Jamia Masjid and Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was on Friday not allowed to offer congregational prayers at the grand mosque in the old city. The prayers were held at the grand mosque but the chief priest was not allowed to move out of his house in Nigeen in the outskirts of Srinagar.
He denounced his “house detention” by authorities. In a statement, Mirwaiz said that after his release on September 22 following four years of house detention since August 2019, he was only permitted to go to the Jamia Masjid for three Fridays.
“Since then, every Friday, he has been put under house arrest without any reason provided by the authorities,” the statement added.
Since October 13, Friday prayers were not allowed at the grand mosque for 10 weeks as security forces had apprehensions that there could be protests in support of Palestine. “It was only last week that people were allowed to offer Friday prayers there. The duration of this permission remains uncertain while the ban on me continues,” Mirwaiz said.
“The authorities whimsically open or close the central Jamia Masjid to Muslims for prayers without accountability, and no one can enquire about the reasons,” he alleged.
On December 22, Anjuman Auqaf of Jama Masjid had said that authorities allowed Friday prayers at the historic mosque after a gap of ten weeks. However, Mirwaiz alleged that he was being confined to his home on Fridays.
“It mocks the authorities’ own statements claiming things are great in Jammu & Kashmir, and I am a free man who can go anywhere,” he added.
Mirwaiz claimed that control 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,” he said.
Mirwaiz has been leading the prayers and delivering Friday sermons at Jamia Masjid as part of the Mirwaiz’s family tradition.
