Mirwaiz Umar Again Placed Under House Arrest
Barred from joining Friday congregation
Srinagar: Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman of his faction of separatist Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was again barred from relocating to Srinagar’s Jama Masjid to deliver a sermon and offer Friday prayers.
A police contingent arrived at the Mirwaiz’s residence in Srinagar’s Nigeen area in the morning and informed his personal staff that he cannot leave the premises, an aide told reporters. The authorities have cited security concerns for restricting Mirwaiz’s movement.
The Mirwaiz in a post on ‘X’ said, “Every Friday I am put under arbitrary house arrest! Putting pressure on me not to speak up, the ban also aims to weaken the centrality of Muslim institutions of the Valley Jama Masjid, the office of the Mirwaiz, and cause collective grief to Muslims and all those who oppose this authoritarian and sectarian outlook.
He added, “My house detention case is still pending in court, where I am seeking relief from the Hon’ble High Court, but in such times, patience remains our only strength.”
Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid strongly condemned the ‘house detention’ of its chairman and said that the move is part of the authorities’ persisting attempts to silence the religious leadership and undermine centrality of the historic place of worship. “The Anjuman expresses its deep anguish and strong condemnation over the continued and arbitrary house detention of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq for the fourth consecutive Friday today, preventing him from performing his religious and public duties at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar,” it said in a statement here.
The statement added, “The repeated restrictions imposed on the Mirwaiz are unjust and appear to be aimed not only at silencing his voice on vital issues of Muslims but also at weakening the central religious institutions of the Valley, most notably the Jama Masjid. These actions cause immense hurt and distress to the Muslim community of Jammu and Kashmir and to all those who value justice, religious freedom, and democratic principles”.
The Anjuman urged civil society groups, human rights bodies, and “justice-seeking individuals” to raise their voice against this “ongoing injustice”.
Pertinently, the Union Home Ministry had on March 11 declared the Mirwaiz-led J&K Awami (People’s) Action Committee (AAC) and J&K Ittihad-ul-Muslimeen (IUM) headed by Shia cleric and politician Moulvi Masroor Abbas Ansari as “unlawful associations” and banned them under Section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967, for a period of five years each on the plea that they are involved in activities that threaten India’s sovereignty, integrity and security.
The organisations were also accused of propagating anti-India narratives, mobilizing funds for separatist movements, and inciting violence in J&K. Since February 2019, the Centre has banned a dozen separatist militant and political parties and groups in J&K after declaring them as unlawful associations under the UAPA.
The Mirwaiz had, however, contested the MHA’s charge and said that his organisation completely believes in nonviolent resistance and seeks a resolution of the Kashmir conflict through dialogue and deliberation.
Both AAC and IUM are among a few mass-based constituents of separatist Hurriyat Conference which is also being headed by the Mirwaiz. Over the past couple of weeks, about a dozen small constituents have quit the amalgam and pledged their loyalty to India and its constitution. Home Minister Amit Shah termed the development as a “victory” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “vision” and claimed that separatism has become history in Kashmir.
