Kashmir’s main mosque denies India’s claim to religious freedom New Religions

The central mosque in the largest city in Kashmir, administered by India, has been closed for the past two years amid a bitter clash between Indian authorities and Muslim Kashmir.

The centuries Jamia Masjid He dominates his neighborhood of Srinagar with a formidable main gate and huge towers.

The brick and wood building is one of the city’s oldest mosques with a population of 1.2 million, 96% of whom are Muslims, and often attracts thousands to prayer.

With 378 wooden pillars, it can hold 33,000 worshipers.

In all these years, hundreds of thousands of Muslims have filled the surrounding roads and highways to offer prayers to the mosque.

However, the Indian authorities see the mosque as a problem site, a nerve center for protests and clashes. Questioning the sovereignty of New Delhi The disputed region of Kashmir, claimed in its entirety by India and Pakistan is promising its parts.

For Kashmiri Muslims, the mosque is a sacred place where they offer obligatory prayers on Fridays and also raise their voices in favor of political rights.

Among those tensions, the mosque has mostly closed the last two years.

The large mosque can be seen through the door, which is closed on Fridays [Mukhtar Khan/AP]

The high priest of the mosque has been arrested at his home almost without interruption during that time, and the main door of the mosque is locked with a padlock and corrugated brass sheets on Fridays.

‘Something is missing in my heart’

The closure of the mosque, which respects the most Muslim population in Kashmir administered by India, has heightened anger among them.

“Something is missing inside my heart,” said Bashir Ahmed, a 65-year-old retired government official who has been offering prayers in mosques for more than 50 years.

Indian authorities declined to comment on the mosque’s restrictions, despite repeated consultations with the Associated Press.

For Muslim Kashmir, the mosque is a symbol of faith, a sacred place where not only the obligatory Friday prayers but also the voice of political rights are raised. [Mukhtar Khan/AP]

In the past, officials said the government was forced to close the mosque because its management committee was unable to stop local protests against India.

The closure of the 600-year-old mosque came in the wake of a 2019 government crackdown. naked India has administered Kashmir as its former semi-autonomous state.

Over the past two years, other mosques and shrines in the region have been allowed to offer religious services due to security crackdowns and subsequent pandemics.

Jamia Masjid has been left out of the border for worshipers to pray on Fridays, the main day of worship for the congregation in Islam.

Authorities allow the mosque to remain open for another six days, but only hundreds of worshipers gather there, compared to the tens of thousands who often gathered on Fridays.

The mosque has been out of bounds for worshipers for Friday prayers for the past two years [Mukhtar Khan/AP]

Religious freedom is enshrined in the Indian constitution, allowing citizens to freely follow and practice their beliefs. The constitution also says the state will not “discriminate against, protect or engage in the profession of any religion.”

For Muslims in the region, the closure of the mosque brings back painful memories of the past.

In 1819, it was closed by the Sikh authorities for 21 years. Over the past 15 years, successive governments in India have been subjected to periodic bans and blockades.

But the current restrictions are the hardest since the region split between India and Pakistan after the two nations gained independence from Britain in 1947.

“India is a secular country. If so, why are we seeing such religious restrictions? ” asked Zareef Ahmed Zareef, a poet and oral historian.

“Jamia Masjid represents the soul of Kashmiri Muslims,” ​​says Zareef Ahmed Zareef Kashmiri poet [Mukhtar Khan/AP]

After the outbreak of an armed uprising against Kashmir in 1989, a large mosque in the heart of Srinagar and surrounding areas emerged as the center of protests.

India has portrayed the uprising as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, an accusation denied by Pakistan.

Jamia Masjid’s sermons often dealt with the long-running conflict, with High Priest Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and one of the region’s top separatist leaders delivering fiery speeches highlighting Kashmir’s political struggle.

Authorities often restricted long-term ban on prayers in mosques.

According to official data, the mosque was closed for at least 250 days in 2008, 2010 and 2016 together.

“People in the mosque felt and meditated on spirituality, and Mirwaiz had a unique style of giving sermons. Discussions on social, economic, and political issues were a key religious function of the mosque,” said Altaf Ahmad Bhat, a senior official at the mosque.

Bhat rejected the legal and order reasons mentioned by the authorities.

“I think it’s their disability if they can’t cope with the situation. We raise our voice here and it’s not always political. I don’t think that’s an argument, “he said.