Calls for Protection of Muslim Heritage and Rights,Criticises Police for Restricting Media Coverage at Jama Masjid

Srinagar, November 29 : Speaking at the Friday congregation, at Jama Masjid Srinagar, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir and chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, “As you are aware, five Muslim youth were killed in police firing during the survey of the 500-year-old Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh. The survey was ordered by the court. The killing of these youth in discriminatory police action is very distressing and condemnable.

While this matter was still ongoing, another court in Rajasthan’s Ajmer ordered the survey of the state’s iconic Ajmer Sharif Dargah of the revered Sufi saint Hazrat Moinuddin Chisti (Rah). Before that, the Gyanvapi Mosque is being surveyed under court orders. There seems to be a deliberate pattern where first doubts are raised, then the court orders surveys, and then majority claims have to be satisfied. The Babri Masjid issue, after such claims, followed by its demolition and how it was settled by courts, is fresh in the minds of Muslims.

This is an extremely disturbing and serious issue for the Muslims of not only India and Kashmir but the subcontinent and the world over. The shrine of the great Sufi and wali, Hazrat Moinuddin, is revered by Muslims all over the world, where thousands of people visit daily. This 800-year-old shrine is linked to the history and culture of the spread of Islam in the Indian subcontinent. It holds special significance for the people of Kashmir, who visit the Dargah as a pilgrimage.

Such actions backed by the judiciary and government deeply undermine the religious sentiments of crores of Muslims living in this part of the world. If India is a secular state as per its preamble, run by a constitution which includes the Places of Worship Act, then why are such issues allowed to be raked up and entertained continuously?” Mirwaiz said that people know the answer. “But this is a dangerous trend that is being encouraged and can have very serious consequences.

Already, the issue of the Waqf amendment is worrying the Muslims in India, as also in J&K, for which MMU has again sent a letter to the JPC on the matter asking for a meeting.” Mirwaiz said that the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir, like Muslims of India and the subcontinent, are observing all this very concerningly, and if this mindset is not curbed, people’s backlash against these assaults will be entirely the responsibility of the authorities.

Mirwaiz also criticised the actions of the police in preventing media coverage of his speech at Jama Masjid by barring their entry into the mosque .He criticized the restriction on the press, emphasizing that it is crucial for the media to freely report on matters of public interest and concern.