New Delhi: Authorities reportedly banned the congregational Shab-e-Baraat prayers on Sunday, February 25, at the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar. Meanwhile, moderate Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was scheduled to deliver the sermon there, was also placed under house-arrest.
In a statement, the managing body of the Jamia Masjid, which is Kashmir’s largest mosque, alleged on Monday that the authorities “forcibly” closed the mosque’s gates on Sunday, February 25 before the commencement of the Shab-e-Baraat prayers while Mirwaiz, who was scheduled to address the worshippers at the mosque, was “put under house arrest”.
However, no official order was issued to this effect.
The congregational Shab-e-Baraat prayers are held at night on the 15th of Sha’ban, the eight month of the lunar calendar and a fortnight before the beginning of the month of Ramzan when Muslims across the world observe dawn-to-dusk fasts to seek salvation.
“In these days of Sha’ban preceding the holy month of Ramzan when mosques are reverberating with prayers and religious ceremonies, the central Jama Masjid, the most important religious centre of the valley, is silenced,” said Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, the managing body, in the statement.
The managing body underlined that thousands of people from different parts of Kashmir thronged the mosque to participate in the annual congregational prayers and that the mosque used to resound with “supplications and religious ceremonies” on the night of Shab-e-Baraat.
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“It is extremely unfortunate and people are extremely upset and heartbroken at how the authorities are dealing with their central religious place and their religious head. Such blatant violation of the religious rights of people and interference in their religious affairs is unacceptable. Anjuman strongly protests it,” the statement said.
Kashmir’s largest mosque closed ahead of Sab-e-Baraat prayers. Photo: Mirwaiz Manzil
Following the watering down of Article 370, authorities in Kashmir have repeatedly prevented worshippers from offering congregational prayers at the Jama Masjid purportedly due to apprehensions of law and order problems in the heart of downtown Srinagar’s Nowhatta locality, where the mosque is located.
In normal times, the 14th century architectural marvel, which has been at the centre of Kashmir’s contested political past, used to be bustling with both male and female worshippers on Fridays and other important days of the Islamic calendar.
However, after the Article 370 move, the mosque has been often closed by authorities on such occasions and a posse of gun-toting security personnel are deployed in strength at its main gates to turn away any worshippers.
While authorities have justified the crackdown citing fears of “law and order problems” in and around the mosque which used to be an epicentre of anti-India and pro-freedom sentiment in Kashmir, the mosque’s managing body has termed the “repeated action” as an “attack” on dissent and religious rights of Kashmiri Muslims.
Last week, the Jammu & Kashmir High Court granted the Jammu & Kashmir administration “last and final opportunity” to respond to a habeas corpus petition which challenges the “illegal confinement” of Mirwaiz who is also the chief cleric of Kashmir.
Mirwaiz had approached the court in September last year to challenge his “arbitrary and illegal” detention after August 5, 2019 when the BJP-led union government launched a sweeping crackdown in Kashmir with even three former Chief Ministers of J&K put under detention.
According to the managing body, Mirwaiz was allowed to offer prayers at the Jamia Masjid on three Fridays in more than four years after Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated and downgraded into a union territory, including on September 22 last year when the administration lifted curbs on his Nigeen residence as well as the Jamia Masjid.
However, the curbs were imposed on both Mirwaiz and Jamia Masjid soon afterwards. “Since then he has been prevented from going to Jamia Masjid on Fridays or addressing the faithful in any other mosque or religious congregations as the Mirwaiz (head priest). Whenever we approached the authorities, they have dilly dallied on the response, saying they will check with their higher ups and get back, which they never do,” an aide of Mirwaiz said.