Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid today said that Muslim devotees were restricted from praying at Srinagar’s famous Jama Masjid many times as it was locked down by authorities.

It further expressed grief over suspension of tradition ‘malis of Waz-o-Tableegh’ due to incarceration of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. “And so does the traditional majlis of Waz-o-Tableegh delivered from the pulpit of this historic mosque for centuries by Mirwaizeen e kashmir , as Mirwaiz Umar Farooq continues to be under house arrest for the third year in a row since 2019. The sorrow and pain this causes to people is unmitigated,” a statement issued by the religious body said.

Anjuman said that the mosque has been closed by authorities for 45 Fridays in this year, and consecutively for 21 Fridays so far. In the previous five years from 2016 to 2019, Jamia Majid has been locked down for 112 Fridays.

“This data puts to shame the forcible closure of the mosque during the periods of worst autocratic rule that Muslims of Kashmir have suffered,” the statement said.

Anjuman added that people of Kashmir and ulemas have been urging the authorities to allow people to offer Friday prayers in Jamia Masjid and release the Mirwaiz of Kashmir but to no avail.