J&K Waqf Board's move to unify Friday sermons draws flak

Srinagar:  An unprecedented move by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board to control the Friday sermons delivered by imams in mosques prior to the weekly Friday congregation, has drawn flak from community and Kashmir's political leaders.

Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq have all come out opposing the proposal, while board chairperson Dr Darakshan Andrabi took a defensive position saying no formal order has been issued.

“This is an unacceptable attempt by the BJP to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims and will not be accepted.... The BJP appointed Chairperson must immediately halt this misplaced attempt to please her masters,” Omar posted on X.

The state Waqf Boards are statutory bodies mostly nominated by the government of the day and as a corollary includes nominees from the ruling party. But in the case of J & KK,  the chairperson was appointed as a member by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India, and was unanimously elected as the Chairperson on March 16, 2022, all during the board's first meeting at Hajj House in Jammu when the state was under Union rule.

The Board's move to introduce common themes for Friday sermons across mosques and shrines in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered wide opposition, with chief minister Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and religious leadership like Mirwaiz Umar Farooq see in the move a plan to control Muslim religious institutions as also to tune the community discourse in line with the BJP's wishes.

Critics of the plan have brought to the fore the basic question whether it is for the government, through the Waqf Board it nominates or Islamic scholars and community leadership who should determine the content of speeches delivered from the Friday pulpit.

However, at the face of the outrage from various quarters, Andrabi has soft-pedalled on the move saying that no order was issued by the Waqf Board, at the same time reserving the decision on such matters for the scholars linked to the board.

At the same time, it has transpired that a meeting of the Waqf Board was held with 'like-minded Ulema' on Saturday to seek their advice on the need for a common khutbah, or sermon.

The Waqf Board controls scores of major shrines and mosques, including Hazratbal, but several others, including Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, are outside its system.

(With inputs from agencies)