After two Fridays, Mirwaiz ‘allowed to go’ to Jama Masjid

Hurriyat Conference chairman and Jamia Masjid chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said he was allowed to come to Jama Masjid after two Fridays. He said preventing him from coming to Jama Masjid on Fridays is “completely uncalled for.”

During the last two Fridays, Mirwaiz said he was placed under house arrest.

On Friday, he said it is direct interference in the religious rights of the people, which “alienates them further, serving no other purpose.”

“It does not change historical facts. I have always been asking the administration to desist from such actions and let people have the freedom to practice their fundamental rights, which includes the right to practice religion and listen to Friday sermons,” he said.

He hoped “these arbitrary restraints are stopped and I am allowed to go to Jama Masjid on Fridays.”

Mirwaiz also talked about Gaza on Friday. “As we gather here in peace, our hearts bleed for our brothers and sisters in Gaza, who are facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and starvation. Innocent civilians, especially children, are being relentlessly bombarded even as they search for food and safety. Starvation is being used as a weapon of war,” said Mirwaiz.

He added, “We strongly and unequivocally condemn this barbarism. The silence and inaction of the global community is pathetic. The world’s failure to prevent these atrocities, to stop the killing of children and civilians in real time, will remain a stain on the conscience of humanity.”

Mirwaiz said, “As people of faith, we stand in solidarity with the oppressed people of Gaza and pray to God to bring them out of this unprecedented crisis.”