SRINAGAR: Mirwaiz Kashmir, Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq, on Friday expressed strong resentment after being barred for the second consecutive week from offering prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid Srinagar.
Calling the curbs an infringement on basic religious rights, Mirwaiz said it was “deeply regrettable” that authorities continue to prevent him from leading prayers. He added that he should have been allowed to attend the funeral of his friend and colleague, Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat, to offer prayers for the departed. “Are the authorities so afraid of the dead?” he remarked.
Mirwaiz, who has remained under house detention, said that being confined to his home every Friday and barred from entering Jamia Masjid reflected an “authoritarian setup.” He added that denying people the right to honour their leaders, pay last respects, or collectively share grief was “highly condemnable.”
He asserted that “brute power cannot silence faith, nor extinguish the people’s yearning for dignity and justice.”
Meanwhile, reports from across Srinagar said that imams, scholars, and preachers in major mosques, Imambaras, Khanqahs, and shrines voiced strong protest against the restrictions on Mirwaiz and condemned the curbs on his religious duties.
