Srinagar: Moderate Hurriyat Conference Chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has expressed serious concern over the surveys of religious places in India, calling it a deeply troubling issue for Muslims.
Speaking at the Friday congregation at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz alleged a deliberate pattern in these actions, citing recent examples such as the surveys of the 500-year-old Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh, the Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan, and the ongoing Gyanvapi Mosque case.
“Five Muslim youth were killed during the survey of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, ordered by a court. Now, similar orders have been issued for the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, a shrine revered globally,” he said, adding that such measures remind Muslims of the Babri Masjid controversy, which ended with its demolition and court verdicts favoring majority claims.
Mirwaiz emphasized that such actions hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims and contradict the secular principles enshrined in India’s Constitution and the Places of Worship Act.
“These surveys, supported by judicial and government directives, pose a grave threat to religious harmony. If this trend continues, the responsibility for any public backlash will lie solely with the authorities,” he warned.
He also raised concerns over the Waqf Amendment Act, which he said has alarmed Muslims across India and Jammu & Kashmir. The Muttaheda Majlis-e-Ulema (United Council of Islamic Scholars), a coalition of Muslim religious organizations, led by Mirwaiz has requested a meeting with the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the issue.
Mirwaiz called for immediate intervention to curb this trend, cautioning that it could have far-reaching consequences for communal harmony in the region.
