India: ‘Every Friday I am put Under Arbitrary House Arrest’ – Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Mirwaiz alleged that the ban also aims to weaken the centrality of Muslim institutions of the valley-the Jama Masjid.
Hurriyat Conference chairman and chief cleric of Jamia Masjid Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday (April 18) said that he is put under house arrest every Friday to prevent him from speaking up on issues at weekly congregational prayers.
The Anjuman Auqaf (management committee) of the Jama Masjid condemned the house arrest of Farooq for the fourth consecutive Friday, reported The Tribune.
“Every Friday I am put under arbitrary house arrest! Putting pressure on me not to speak up, the ban also aims to weaken the centrality of Muslim institutions of the valley-the Jama Masjid, office of the Mirwaiz, and cause collective grief to Muslims and all those who oppose this authoritarian and sectarian outlook,” Mirwaiz posted on X on Friday.
“My house detention case is still pending in court, where I am seeking relief from the Hon’ble High Court, but in such times patience remains our only strength,” added Mirwaiz.
Referring to Mirwaiz’s house arrest, the Anjuman Auqaf said in its statement said that “these actions cause immense hurt and distress to the Muslim community of Jammu & Kashmir and to all those who value justice, religious freedom and democratic principles.”
“The repeated restrictions imposed on Mirwaiz are unjust and appear to be aimed not only at silencing his voice on vital issues of Muslims but also at weakening the central religious institutions of the Valley – most notably the Jama Masjid,” the Auqaf said.
Reference Link:- https://thewire.in/rights/every-friday-i-am-put-under-arbitrary-house-arrest-mirwaiz-umar-farooq
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
