Srinagar, Aug 17: Hurriyat Conference chairman and cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was placed under house detention on Monday and barred from addressing the time-honoured Khawaja Digar religious gathering in downtown Srinagar.
In a post on X, Mirwaiz said he was placed under house arrest and denied permission to address the time-honoured Khawaja Digar religious gathering at Khanqah e Naqshband Sahib (RA) in downtown Srinagar.
“Once again I have been denied permission to address the time honoured religious gathering of Khawaja Digar in Naqshband Sahib today, with tens of thousands of people eagerly waiting there to participate in this spiritually uplifting religious congregation observed on the 3rd of Rabi Ul Awwal each year, and have been put under house arrest,” he said.
He said preventing him from addressing congregational religious occasions “as the Mirwaiz to punish me for my political outlook and for raising social and religious concerns of people, while a reflection of the now familiar repressive mindset of rulers, is still unfortunate and shameful to say the least.”
“What is worse is the continued insensitivity and disrespect for the religious rights and practices of Muslims by the authorities by denying them the right to hear the sermon and participate in a spiritual experience. Continued silence on it will only lead to normalisation of repression of religious rights of Muslims,” Mirwaiz said.
He said it is the duty of all, especially the elected Government, to safeguard the religious rights of Muslims of the Valley as well as Jammu and stand up to the powers and make them relent.