Mirwaiz again placed under house arrest: Jamia mosque mgmt

Hurriyat Conference chairman and Jamia Masjid chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has again been placed under house arrest since Sunday morning, the Jamia mosque management said in a statement.

“Today, the third of Rabiul Awal is an important day in the Islamic calendar. For generations, on this day Muslims of Kashmir gather at the Naqsband Sahib, Srinagar, to participate in the Khoja Digar (special prayers), where the special feature is the sermon delivered by the Mirwaiz. People eagerly await this occasion where as a community they have gathered for generations for spiritual upliftment and deliverance,” the Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid said on Sunday.

“For five years we have been deprived by the authorities, who are uninformed and oblivious of the importance of these gatherings for the spiritual solace of Kashmiri Muslims,” it said.

“Today, the people were eagerly awaiting that the Mirwaiz would delivers the important sermon after a gap of five years. However, the authorities in total disregard of our sentiments barred the Mirwaiz once again from being able to fulfil his religious and social obligation,” the statement said.

Anjuman said it strongly condemns this blatant interference in the religious affairs. “It is deeply unfortunate that those in authority and governing us are totally ignorant about our religious and cultural traditions and show no respect for them,” it said.

“The Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid demands that the authorities immediately lift the house arrest of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and allow him to deliver his sermon on the special occasion of Khwaja Digar Urs,” the statement said.