Eid prayers not allowed at Srinagar's Jama Masjid, Mirwaiz alleges house arrest
For the seventh year in a row, the authorities in Srinagar did not allow Eid-ul-Adha prayers at the historic Eidgah ground and Jamia Masjid in the old city on Saturday and placed Kashmir's leading cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house arrest.
The gates of Jamia Masjid were locked early in the morning, and police were deployed outside to prevent entry.
'Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid, Srinagar, deeply regrets to inform that the authorities have once again disallowed Eid-ul-Adha prayers at the Eidgah as well as at the historic Jama Masjid in by closing the gates of the mosque and deploying police personnel outside,' the management of the historic mosque said in a statement. It said the authorities did not even permit the pre-dawn (Fajr) prayers.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the move and posted on X: 'Eid Mubarak! Yet again, Kashmir wakes up to the sad reality: no Eid prayers at Eidgah, and Jama Masjid locked down for the 7th straight year. I too have been detained at my home.'
'In a Muslim-majority region, Muslims are deprived of their fundamental right to pray -- even on their most important religious occasion celebrated across the world!' he said.
'What a shame on those who rule over us, and on those elected by the people who choose to remain silent as our rights are trampled over, again and again,' Mirwaiz said on X.
After offering namaz at Hazratbal dargah on the outskirts of Srinagar, chief minister Omar Abdullah said, 'While we are celebrating Eid, unfortunately, once again, permission was denied to offer namaz in Srinagar's iconic Jama Masjid. I don't know the basis of these decisions, but we need to learn to trust our people. These are the same people who came out to protest against the Pahalgam terrorist attack. The government should think about allowing namaz at the historic Jama Masjid.'
Reacting to the developments, PDP leader Iltija Mufti said: 'I want to ask the National Conference government and the lieutenant governor (Manoj Sinha) why the Mirwaiz is still being placed under house arrest when you claim everything is normal. As India's only and the largest Muslim majority state, we Kashmiris have the right to worship... More than infrastructure, we need dignity and security of life.'
PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said: 'Unfortunately, the government, on this pious day, has denied permission to offer namaz in the Jama Masjid, and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been put under house arrest... I protest against the state government also, which is just watching everything and doing nothing.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
34 minutes ago
- Hans India
Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Adha in religious fervour
Ongole: The Muslim fraternity in Prakasam district celebrated Bakrid with gaiety and fervor on Saturday. In Ongole, thousands of Muslims gathered at the Eidgah in the morning for the special prayers and Khutbah, the preaching by the learned in the community. The speakers encouraged the community to cultivate peace and promote universal values and brotherhood with fellow civilizations. They prayed to the Almighty to offer sufficient rain in places like Prakasam district, which is suffering from water scarcity, and comfort the families who lost their beloved. At the Eidgah in Singarayakonda, Welfare Minister Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy participated in special prayers with Muslim community. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister described Bakrid as a symbol of sacrifice and emphasised that the festival's core message is cultivating compassion and kindness toward the poor and needy. He elaborated that the tradition of 'Qurbani' serves as an annual reminder that one should be willing to sacrifice anything dear to them for divine pleasure. The Minister noted that sacrifice elevates human beings to nobility, and Muslims celebrate Bakrid as a commemoration of a great person's sacrifice. He extended greetings to Muslim brothers and all citizens of the State on this auspicious occasion. Similar prayers were done at Eidgahs in Podili, Giddalur, Markapuram, and other places as part of Bakrid. The speakers explained the importance of Eid Al-Adha and how Prophet Ibrahim offered his son Ismail for Qurbani. They prayed to Allah to provide peace all over the world.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
43 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Yunus acted without consulting parties: Ex-Indian envoy on Bangladesh polls
Former High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Veena Sikri said that the announcement of elections in the first half of April, next year by Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh is "controversial" and said the decision was taken without consulting the parties. Sikri told ANI a day earlier, "I think this announcement is controversial due to some reasons -- some political parties have opposed it, even BMP themselves wanted it earlier by December. He has taken this decision without consulting the parties. He has talked about reforms, but he is not a constitutional government, so there is no reason for such a government to do reforms" The former envoy said the neighbouring country must have early elections and that the Bangladesh Army has yet to react to the announcement. "They must have early elections, and then the elected government will look at what reforms they want. The Army has not said anything so far about the decision. The most important thing is how the elections will be conducted, as he cannot head the caretaker govt because in his govt there are political party representatives, including representatives of Islami Andolan Bangladesh." On June 6, the Bangladesh interim government announced that the national election would be held in the first half of April 2026. "I am announcing to the countrymen today that the next national elections will be held sometime in the first half of April 2026. Based on this announcement, the Election Commission will provide you with a detailed roadmap for the elections in due course", said Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, in an address to the nation through state television, BTV, on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha. The announcement of the national election is a major development for Bangladesh politics after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August 2024.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Life returning to normal, says Poonch resident as Op Sindoor marks 1 month
As Operation Sindoor, launched by Indian armed forces in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack, marks one month on Sunday, people living near the Indo-Pakistan border in Poonch district said that life is slowly returning to normal after the ceasefire with schools opening and people getting back to their routine. "Uss bhayanak khwab ko bhule toh nahi hain, lekin bhoolne ki koshish kar rahe hain. (We haven't forgotten that terrible dream, but are trying to forget it)," said Pradeep Khanna, a local resident in Poonch. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Khanna said, "Operation Sindoor was launched to avenge the Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 26 people. Prime Minister Narendera Modi said that the terrorists would be given a befitting reply, which they received. On intervening May 6-7, nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan were destroyed. After that firing took place here in Poonch, which is also called the battlefield of Jammu and Kashmir." "After the ceasefire, life is slowly returning to normal. Schools have reopened, and people are returning to their works. We haven't forgotten that terrible dream, but are trying to forget it. We celebrated Eid al-Adha together with all the people here in unity. Operation Sindoor is not over yet. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are united in the fight against terrorism," said Khanna. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 and struck nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in response to a ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam last month in which 26 people were killed. After the attack, Pakistan retaliated with cross-border shelling across the Line of Control and Jammu and Kashmir as well as attempted drone attacks along the border regions, following which India launched a coordinated attack and damaged radar infrastructure, communication centres, and airfields across 11 airbases in Pakistan. After this, on May 10, an understanding of the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan was announced. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
