Firdous Qadri
Shakeela Banoo, from Central Kashmir’s Budgam district visited Srinagar’s grand mosque – Jamia Masjid to offer Friday prayers, but returned dejected as the gates of Jamia Masjid were shut for devotees, yet again.
“My father used to offer Friday prayers here. He would travel from Budgam to Srinagar. I had come for the first time to offer prayers here,” Shakeela told The Kashmiriyat.
Shakeela was among hundreds of Kashmiris who had turned to Jamia Masjid to offer Friday prayers after the Anjuman Auqaf- the body in charge of Jamia Masjid announced that congregational prayers will be offered this Friday after a gap of several months.
Shakeela, who was disheartened, said that Kashmir was a valley of faith. “We have never seen such conditions in Kashmir. In case of drastic situations and diseases, Kashmiris would turn to God, but now our Masajid have been shut,” Shakeela lamented and asked, “Who should Kashmiris turn to?”
Shakeela said that she had come to the Masjid to fulfill the wishes of her deceased father.
“It is sad that Covid-19 is being used as an excuse to shut the gates of mosques to believers,” she said while speaking to The Kashmiriyat. After travelling for miles, Shakeela had to return without fulfilling the wishes of her deceased father.
He was taken to Srinagar’s SMHS hospital for treatment where doctors declared him brought dead on arrival.
Last month, the administration shut the gates of famous Sufi Khanqah, Makhdoom Sahib, on the annual urs of the Sufi saint. Thousands of Kashmiris from around the world returned to their homes dismayed as entry into the shrine was barred. Hundreds offered prayers on the stairs of the Khanqah.
In a statement released today, the Auqaf committee said, “Heavy deployment of forces was carried out since early morning in the entire area. When the Auqaf employees opened up the gates of the mosque police personnel forced them to close all the gates and no Namazis were allowed inside the mosque for offering the obligatory Friday prayers.”
Anjuman said that the earlier pretext of Covid-19 pandemic by the authorities to prevent Muslims from offering Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid stands completely exposed today.
“It is extremely unfortunate and disdainful of the authorities to disallow Muslims of the valley from praying at the Central mosque by use of brute force and cause them hurt and grief. Muslims of the valley denounce this injustice and interference in religious freedom in the strongest terms,” the statement said.