Jamia Masjid Closed for Friday Prayers, Mirwaiz Under House Arrest

For the third consecutive Friday, prayers at Kashmir’s grand mosque were not allowed and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest due to concerns of protests over the Gaza bombings. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is described as a “fragile normalcy.”

For the third consecutive Friday, the weekly prayers were not allowed at Kashmir’s grand mosque, Jamia Masjid, and the chief cleric and Hurriyat chairperson Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house arrest, Anjuman Auqaf, the managing body of the mosque, said.

The administration had raised concerns regarding the possibility of protests over bombardment of Gaza by Israel. “The gates of the mosque have been closed by the authorities and Mirwaiz has been placed under house detention,” the Anjuman Auqaf said.

All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), led by Farooq, said that these repeated closures were reminders that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is of a “fragile normalcy”.

Farooq was not allowed to deliver a sermon at Aastan Aaliya Dastgeer Sahib Shrine at Khanyar on Wednesday.

Since October 13, the Friday prayers have not been allowed at the grand mosque as security forces had apprehensions that there could be protests in support of Palestine.

“While no reason for these bars is publicly given by the authorities , but if the reason is fear of display of support and solidarity by the people of Kashmir with the hapless people of Palestine being bombed by Israel , that solidarity was and will be there for them as fellow humans and Muslims. Kashmiris stand with the people of Palestine, irrespective of bans and restrictions on them,” the Hurriyat said.

Last month, Farooq was released after four years of house detention and he led Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid in the old city on September 22.