Kashmir’s chief cleric says he was detained at home ahead of Eid prayers

Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday alleged that he was detained at his home ahead of Eid prayers, and that congregational prayers were barred at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid.

“I am deeply pained and strongly condemn the authorities decision to once again deny the Muslims of Kashmir the basic right to offer Eid prayers at Eidgah and Jama Masjid which have been closed down and I have been detained at home,” he said in a post on X.

Farooq said that even during the peak of militancy in the 1990s, Eid prayers were held at the Eidgah.

“Eidgah and Jama Masjid belong to the people,” Farooq added. “Barring them from these sacred spaces even on Eid reflects an oppressive and authoritarian approach that prevails in Kashmir today.”

He further asked: “So now when huge claims of normalcy are made everyday by the authorities, why are Muslims being kept away from their religious places and practices? What is the agenda? Is the collective identity of Kashmiri Muslims a threat to the rulers?”

I am deeply pained and strongly condemn the authorities decision to once again deny the Muslims of Kashmir the basic right to offer Eid prayers at Eidgah and Jama Masjid which have been closed down...

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