Srinagar: Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar expressed deep regret over the continuous closure of the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, the spiritual centre and the largest place of worship of Jammu and Kashmir, for the 19th consecutive Friday.
Condemning this oppressive move, the Anjuman Auqaf in a statement said that like previous Fridays, the authorities and police once again today morning stopped the Auqaf employees from opening the doors of the grand mosque. As a result, the people having come from parts of the city as well as remote areas were deprived of praying Friday prayers at the Jama Masjid, thereby preventing them from performing their religious obligations and hurting their religious sentiments. The Anjuman has also expressed strong resentment against the continuous incarceration of its head Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq who continues to be under illegal and arbitrary house arrest since 5 August 2021 saying it is extremely unfortunate for all sections of people that their topmost religious leader is being forcibly detained and disallowed from delivering majlis e waz on Fridays at Jamia mosque.
The Anjuman said that on December 13, 2021, the leading religious, social and civil society organisations of Kashmir, from the platform of Jammu and Kashmir Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema, unanimously appealed for reopening the Jama Masjid for Friday prayers and releasing the Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir, but unfortunately the administration is reluctant to do so and listen to anyone.
According to reports, on the occasion of Friday prayers in most of the mosques, khanqahs and imambarahs in the Valley today, the imams and khateebs protested against disallowing Friday prayers in the Jama Masjid Srinagar and raised their voice against it.
