The Anjuman-e-Auqaf Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, expressed strong disappointment on Friday at the claimed house arrest of its president, Maulvi Umer Farooq. The organization asserted that it had stopped him from delivering the Friday sermon and attending congregational prayers at the historic mosque.
In a statement released by the Anjuman-e-Auqaf Jamia Masjid, led by the Mirwaiz, the organization condemned the action, terming it "arbitrary and unjustified," particularly in the holy month of Ramzan, a period of great religious importance to Muslims across the globe.
"Jamia Masjid is a focal point of worship where thousands of people congregate for Friday prayers in pursuit of guidance, blessings, and spiritual communion. Preventing the Mirwaiz from discharging his religious duty and depriving the worshippers of deriving benefit from his sermons causes severe religious hurt to the people," the statement stated.
Mirwaiz Umer Farooq is also the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference.
This comes in the wake of a recent Union Home Ministry (MHA) decision to ban the Awami Action Committee (ACC), headed by Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The ACC was initially formed in 1963 by Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq under the Holy Relic Agitation in Kashmir. Following his assassination at the hands of militants in 1990, his son Mirwaiz Umer Farooq took over the organization.
In addition to the ACC, the MHA also prohibited the J&K Ittehadul Muslimeen (JKIM), an outfit headed by Maulvi Masroor Abbas Ansari, for five years under the UAPA.
The JKIM was initially established by late Maulvi Abbas Ansari, a well-known Shia Muslim separatist leader. After his death, the organization was headed by his son, Maulvi Masroor Abbas.
Speaking of the decision, Union Home Minister Amit Shah went to social media platform X to defend the bans, claiming that these bodies were provoking the general public to initiate disturbance in law and order, jeopardizing the nation's unity and integrity very badly.
He also added that any organization or entity involved in acts against the peace, security, and sovereignty of the country would be dealt with severely under the Modi government.
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