Mirwaiz slams ‘forced’ shutdown of Jamia Masjid on Shab-e-Barat: ‘Naya Kashmir needs explanation’
Mirwaiz was not allowed to lead Friday prayers through three Fridays in January.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s head cleric who leads prayers at Jamia Masjid (Credit: Facebook/Mirwaiz Umar Farooq) Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said Tuesday that he was detained at his residence as he was set to lead prayers at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid to mark Shab-e-Barat, an important night of prayer in the Islamic calendar.
Posting pictures of the locked gates at the Jamia masjid and his own residence, Mirwaiz said: “As mosques across the region light up in devotion on this sacred night, Jama Masjid Srinagar stays shut under watch. Yet another closure, and I remain detained at home. Shab-e-Baraat joins a long list since 2019 when prayers at the Valley’s largest mosque have been stopped by force”.
Underscoring the need for an explanation for closing the mosque, he said: “No reason offered, just locked gates and silence. For those who beat the drums of ‘normalcy’ and ‘naya Kashmir’, this contrast needs an explanation”.
Posting pictures of the locked gates at the Jamia masjid and his own residence, Mirwaiz said: “As mosques across the region light up in devotion on this sacred night, Jama Masjid Srinagar stays shut under watch.” (Credit: Facebook/Mirwaiz Umar Farooq)
Mirwaiz was not allowed to lead Friday prayers through three Fridays in January. He addressed congregational prayers at the mosque on Jan 30 and was barred from leaving his house again on Feb 3.
On Monday, Mirwaiz had announced his plan to lead Shab-e-Barat prayer at the mosque through social media.
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