Backlash in Kashmir over proposal for uniform Friday sermons
A proposal by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board to introduce uniform themes for Friday sermons in mosques and shrines across the territory has drawn criticism from politicians, religious leaders and Muslim scholars. Al Jazeera
The board oversees Muslim religious endowments as mandated by Islamic laws. It is headed by Darakshan Andrabi, a local leader associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The proposal centres on encouraging mosques across Jammu and Kashmir to address a common social issue during Friday sermons. Mathrubhumi The board summoned about 1,500 scholars and preachers from the Kashmir region to a meeting on Sunday about the plan, with some attending in person and others virtually.
Andrabi said a committee formed under the Waqf Board will be solely responsible for the uniform sermon issue. She said the step is necessary to deal with social evils including drug abuse.
She said religious scholars will approve Friday sermons with no role for any government official in the decision. Critics said decisions about Friday sermons should remain with imams. UCA News
Opposition has come from senior political figures including Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, as well as from the Mirwaiz, a leading religious figure in Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir leaders described the push as political interference and a threat to religious autonomy. The Hindu
Politicians, religious leaders and Muslim scholars criticised the idea as interference and an attempt to assert control over Muslim religious spaces. Political and religious critics accused the Modi government of curbing Kashmir's freedom of religion and expression through the proposal.
The dispute follows larger changes in the region. India stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status in 2019, and the former state was partitioned into two federally governed territories. The board took a U-turn on uniform Friday sermons after opposition. The Hindu
