As yet another Friday comes around, many in Kashmir will be watching whether Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, will be allowed to deliver the sermon at Srinagar's historic Jamia Masjid. Reflecting the Centre’s continued confusion over how to deal with the religious head of the Valley, Mirwaiz was not allowed out to deliver the sermon the past two Fridays. That ended the respite following the Assembly elections earlier this year when Mirwaiz was out and about, as the Centre portrayed the successful conduct of the polls as a return to “normalcy”. Just ahead of its abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, Mirwaiz was among the prominent Kashmir leaders detained by the administration. He spent nearly four years under house arrest. When he sat on the pulpit for the first time after the long break, on September 22, 2023, Mirwaiz broke down while giving his sermon. Seeking dialogue and reconciliation, he said: "It has not been easy for you (the people). There have been assaults on our identity. There was abrogation (of special status), downgrading of Jammu and Kashmir (to a Union Territory). The new laws and diktats were harsh.” However, since then, there have been several Fridays when Mirwaiz has not been allowed to deliver his sermon, with officials taking a call usually at the last moment. A senior Jammu and Kashmir government official said: "The policy (regarding Mirwaiz) is very fluid and decisions are often taken at the top-most level. While at times, the local police decide on their own based on the situation on the ground, most of the decisions are taken at the administrative level.” One of the reasons Mirwaiz has been stopped in recent weeks is the possibility of a large gathering for his sermon, with authorities apprehensive of the situation spinning out of control. Under the new arrangement in J&K, the police and law and order are controlled by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, with the newly elected National Conference (NC)-led government an ‘advisor’. The Omar Abdullah government hence has little say in the house arrest of Mirwaiz. Another official said that their hands had been forced as Mirwaiz was expected to stay away from politics in his sermons and talk only about religious matters. "But he has been talking about political matters, and this does not go down well with the administrative leadership.” According to the official, Mirwaiz’s comments on the Sambhal violence were “the reason for (the most recent) renewed house detention". Mirwaiz had condemned the killing of Muslim youths in Sambhal, during protests over a contested survey at an ancient mosque, and the claim being made regarding the Ajmer Sharif shrine. In other Friday sermons since his release last year, Mirwaiz has spoken about the need for talks for resolution of the Kashmir issue, as well as raised social causes like drug addiction. A section of the police, however, feels that the arbitrary barring of Mirwaiz from religious duties is proving counter-productive for the government. "We have been dealing with him (Mirwaiz) for over three decades now. We have dealt with him even in the most troubled situations. In my opinion, people are not taking well to this frequent action,” a police officer said, referring to the sensitivities involved. Besides, Mirwaiz has always been considered a moderate separatist leader. He engaged with New Delhi despite pressure from Pakistan and militants during the peak of the Valley’s militancy years. "He (Mirwaiz) has himself been a victim of violence, with both his father and uncle killed. His close associate, Fazal-ul-Haq, was shot at. He endured all this because he believes that dialogue is the way out to resolve the Kashmir issue," said an NC leader. Apart from deciding whether he can give his Friday sermon, the administration also regulates access to Mirwaiz's home, allowing only a select few after proper screening. Such handling of Mirwaiz also puts under a cloud the administration’s claims that peace has returned to the Valley. Speaking to The Indian Express, Mirwaiz said: “My repeated house arrest, especially on Fridays to prevent me from addressing the faithful at the central Jama Masjid, is another instance of the authoritarian mindset of the rulers and the use of force to prevent what they don’t want. They don’t want the narrative that they have created to be challenged, nor the reality of Kashmir and the concerns of its people to be put out. And the pulpit of Jama Masjid has always been a voice of the people. They want to silence it by silencing me… But I will continue to raise my voice for the people and their rights at any and every fora available to me.” PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti told The Indian Express: "This has become the new normal. The intermittent house arrest of Mirwaiz sahib despite claims of normalcy underscores that the situation remains largely unchanged even after the establishment of an elected government.” NC chief spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq said his party’s government believes Mirwaiz “should be allowed to perform his religious duties”. “We see him as a religious leader who is not only revered by his followers but everyone… The Law and Order and Home departments don’t fall under our government but, as an elected government, we want that every religious leader should be allowed to do his work freely,” he told The Indian Express. The Grand Mosque or Jamia Masjid, with the Mirwaiz at the head of it – a hereditary post – has been at the heart of religion and politics in the Valley for decades. When militancy erupted in Kashmir at the end of 1980s, it became the centre of Kashmir's separatist politics. On August 25, 1989, paramilitary forces raided the mosque to make arrests, drawing allegations of “desecration” and leading to massive protests in the Valley. Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq, the father of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was then the head priest. On May 21, 1990, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq was assassinated by unidentified militants, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, barely 17, took over as the head priest. A few years later, Umar became the first chairman of the separatist conglomerate Hurriyat Conference.
