Modi Govt’s Attempt to Control Friday Prayers and Sermons: Interference in Religious Freedom in Kashmir
A controversial proposal by the government to standardize the Friday sermon (Khutbah) across mosques in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir has sparked intense political and religious debate. Critics argue that through this move, the Narendra Modi-led government is attempting to infringe upon the religious freedom and right to free expression of Muslims in Kashmir.
Facing growing opposition, Darakhshan Andrabi, head of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, was ultimately forced to backtrack from her earlier stance. She announced that addressing social issues or contemporary crises in sermons will now be left to the discretion of independent Islamic scholars and preachers.
Recently, the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board announced that Friday sermons across mosques in the region should be standardized. The board is headed by local BJP leader Darakhshan Andrabi. Opposing the proposal, Kashmir’s top religious scholars and political leaders characterized it as irresponsible interference in religious matters.
Last Sunday, the Waqf Board summoned nearly 1,500 leading religious scholars and preachers to a meeting. There, it was announced that a sermon prepared by a board-formed committee must be recited simultaneously across all mosques on Fridays. However, despite strong protests from the attending scholars, the authorities disregarded their concerns and unilaterally declared the decision final.
Prominent Kashmiri religious leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, along with leaders from various political parties, termed the proposal a direct assault on religious freedom. Various quarters have been alleging that since the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status (Article 370) in 2019, the central government has increased its control and surveillance over local religious institutions. Analysts fear that such moves could stir fresh discontent and political unrest in the valley.
Source: Al Jazeera.
