Mirwaiz placed under ‘house arrest’, claims Srinagar’s Jama Masjid mgmt

Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, the managing body of the mosque, said Mirwaiz was to deliver a special sermon at the mosque on the occasion of Shab-e-Meraj, commemorating the night of the ascension of the Prophet.

The management body of Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid on Friday claimed that authorities placed Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief priest of Kashmir, under house arrest.

Kashmiri Muslims pray as the head priest displays a relic at the Hazratbal shrine on the occasion of Mehraj-u-Alam in Srinagar. (AP)

Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, the managing body of the mosque, said Mirwaiz was to deliver a special sermon at the mosque on the occasion of Shab-e-Meraj, commemorating the night of the ascension of the Prophet.

“A large gathering of people were expected at the mosque to hear Mirwaiz’s sermon and participate in the congregation. But early in the morning, a contingent of police vehicles was stationed outside his residence and he was detained,” the Anjuman Auqaf said in a statement.

Mirwaiz was scheduled to deliver a sermon on the ‘Philosophy of the Ascension’ and the Auqaf had urged people to participate in the event. There was no immediate reaction from the authorities to the claim.

The body denounced the “repeated” house arrest of Mirwaiz especially on Fridays disabling him from visiting Jamia Masjid to deliver the Friday sermon and participate in the mandatory Friday prayers.

“Since his release from house arrest in September last year, Mirwaiz has been allowed to deliver Friday sermons on three Fridays only,” it said.

Mirwaiz has been leading the prayers and delivering Friday sermons at Jamia Masjid as part of the Mirwaiz’s family tradition.

From time to time, the authorities either bar people from offering Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid owing to different security concerns or stop Mirwaiz from delivering the sermon there, it said. The Friday prayers were not allowed at the grand mosque for 10 weeks starting October 13, 2023 as security forces had apprehensions that there could be protests in support of Palestine owing to the Israel-Gaza war.

After more than four years of house arrest, chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was allowed to move out of his house and deliver the Friday sermon at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar on September 22.

Mirwaiz was put under house arrest ahead of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A on August 5, 2019. His release came weeks after he served a legal notice to the lieutenant governor administration over his house detention and denial to visit the Jamia Masjid since 2019.