Government’s ‘Peace’ Claims Under Scrutiny Amid Ongoing Mosque Closures: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
After the authorities allowed moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to address a congregation today, the cleric said the government was getting “exposed” by locking the grand mosque regularly and frequently placing him under house arrest.
The Mirwaiz said there was a contradiction between the authorities’ “optimistic” public statements regarding the situation in Kashmir, and their actions that restrict religious freedom. “Every time the mosque is locked down and I am detained at house, their claims get exposed,” he said.
Despite these challenges, the Mirwaiz said, “Our resilience and faith is unwavering. We are disappointed but not disheartened.”
He said the historical and spiritual role of the Jamia Masjid’s pulpit was well established as the reflector of truth, vowing to shine light upon the state of affairs to the authorities, “whether they like it or not.”
On Eid, the government disallowed congregational prayers at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar. The authorities locked the grand mosque of Srinagar for worshippers on Wednesday morning and put the Mirwaiz, who was supposed to address the congregation at the mosque, under house arrest.
The Mirwaiz said it was for the fifth consecutive year, the government disallowed Eid prayers at the Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, and placed him under house arrest.
After the Union Government abrogated Article 370 and downgraded the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two UTs on August 5, 2019, the authorities have not allowed the Mirwaiz to organise Eid prayers at Jamia Masjid. Usually, the police authorities, which claim to have established peace in the region after the abrogation of Article 370 don’t give any explanation.
