Srinagar: Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Friday expressed serious concern over the “growing trend of online gambling, disguised as various sports including cricket, football, etc.”.
Addressing people at Jama Masjid Srinagar during the Friday sermon, he said such apps had taken hold of the youth and “it’s tragic enough to be grappling with the crisis of drug addiction, and now another menace has taken root in our society.”
While elaborating on details, he said, “Hundreds of young people, driven by the allure of making quick money, have fallen victim to these gambling apps (dream11dotcom, my11circledotcom, etc.), forcing many families to sell their homes and assets to cover the massive debts incurred by their addicted members, mostly young men.”
Mirwaiz cited many instances of youth losing lakhs of rupees, casting heavy financial burdens on their families and destroying them emotionally. He stressed that in Islam, gambling in every form is strictly prohibited as it breeds greed and avarice and ruins lives, razing our spiritual and moral foundation.
Reminding the congregation, he emphasised that the social cost of addiction of every kind leads to the fast erosion of the social fabric of society and ultimately its end.