Srinagar, Oct 13: Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone on Tuesday opposed the reported move by the J&K Waqf Board to pre-vet and decide Friday sermons through a committee, calling it direct interference in religious freedom and the autonomy of the pulpit.
“The pulpit belongs to faith, not government micromanagement. Hands off our mosques,” Lone said in a post on X.
He said pre-vetting and deciding Friday sermons through a Waqf Board committee amounted to interference in religious affairs.
Lone’s remarks come amid growing opposition to reports that the Waqf Board is considering uniform sermons for Friday prayers in mosques across Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also criticised the reported move, calling it an unacceptable attempt by the BJP to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims and urging the Board’s chairperson to halt the exercise.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has rejected any attempt by the Board to prescribe Friday sermons, maintaining that religious guidance falls within the domain of Ulema, Imams and recognised religious institutions.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has similarly opposed the reported move, calling for the transfer of Waqf administration in Jammu and Kashmir to the elected government and allowing the MMU to vet sermons.
The issue has triggered a wider debate over the Waqf Board’s role in religious affairs and the autonomy of Muslim religious institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.
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