Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Put Under ‘House Arrest’, Prevented From Delivering Friday Sermon At Jamia Masjid

Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been prevented from delivering a Friday sermon at Srinagar's Jamia Masjid as authorities put him under 'house arrest'.

Srinagar: Hurriyat Chairman and Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under “house detention”, preventing him from addressing the Friday congregation at historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, according to the mosque's managing body, Anjuman Auqaf.

The cleric too shared images of the security personnel who have taken guard in front of his residence in the Nigeen area of the city, restricting his movement.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mirwaiz Umar said that he was not allowed to leave for the mosque where he was expected to deliver his weekly sermon. He also wondered whether it was in any way related to the observation of the “32nd anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition day.”.

"As I was about to leave for Jamia Masjid for the Friday sermon and prayers, I have been verbally informed that I am under house arrest today and won’t be allowed to go to Jamia Masjid! Is it related to the 32nd anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition today, and the wave of Masjid and shrine surveys that we raised our voice against? Anyone’s guess. (sic),” he wrote.

Following the move, Anjuman Auqaf condemned the continued house arrest of Mirwaiz and expressed outrage at the restrictions imposed on him.

“This continued barring of the revered leader from performing his religious commitments is deeply disturbing and unacceptable,” it said in a statement.

Who Is Mirwaiz Umar?

Mirwaiz Umar, the 14th Mirwaiz of Kashmir, was born on March 23, 1973. He was appointed to this role after his father, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen when he was only 17.

Apart from being a Kashmiri Islamic religious leader, he is also a prominent separatist leader in the valley. He headed the All Parties Hurriyat Conference from 1993 to 1998 and has been the chairman of his faction since 2004.

The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Jordan named him one of 'The 500 Most Influential Muslims' in October 2014. This year, he appeared on the list for the 11th year in a row.

Read More