The state government disallowed congregational prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid on Friday. The move evoked sharp criticism with Anjuman-e-Auqaf Jamia Masjid and Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema, an amalgam of Kashmir-based Ulema, terming the official decision to prevent congregational prayers at Jamia as a “direct interference into the religious affairs.”
A witness said that since early morning, a large number of police and paramilitary CRPF men were deployed at Nowhatta while as all roads leading to the grand masjid were sealed with rolls of concertina wires. “On Last Friday, prayers were not at the Jamia Masjid. Today, also no one was allowed to proceed towards Jamia. Those who tried were pushed back by the police and CRPF men who were standing guard on the main roads,” said Asif Rashid, a resident of Nowhatta, downtown.
An elderly Ghulam Muhammad Wani, a resident of Rajouri Kadal, said that religious sentiments of people of Kashmir especially of those living in downtown get hurt because of frequent closure of Jamia Masjid on Fridays.
“We have a spiritual and emotional attachment with the grand masjid which gets hurt every time authorities disallow congregational Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid,” Wani said.
Chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) took to his twitter handle. He wrote: “10 Fridays so far this year of lockdown of #JamaMasjid by imposing curfew & restrictions barring Muslims from offering Juma prayers there! State repression extended to religious obligations & practices of Muslims with absolute disdain and disregard for our religious sentiments!”
Meanwhile, MMU and Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid have strongly denounced the barring of congregational Friday prayers at the historic Jama Masjid for the tenth time this year.
In a joint statement issued here, MMU and Anjuman-e-Auqaf Jamia Masjid strongly protested frequent closure of Kashmir’s religious and spiritual centre stating that it not only hurts the sentiments of the people but is a grave violation of their religious freedom.
“Using military might to confine people and impose such curbs, is a blatant interference in our religious matters that is bound to evoke anger and resentment in the masses. We demand an immediate halt to these the anti-people policies imposed by the ruling regime,” the statement said. The MMU and Anjuman strongly condemned the continuous detention of the chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at his Nigeen residence and barring him from carrying out his religious duties time and again.