SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory would soon have a common and uniform Friday sermons (khutbas) in the mosques and shrines as J&K Waqf Board has decided to constitute a core committee of Muftis, Imams and Khateebs to identify and finalise common topics to be delivered during weekly Friday congregational prayers.
However, Valley-based politicians have opposed the move. The decision was taken during a recent meeting of Maulanas, Muftis, Imams and Khateebs held at the Waqf Board’s Central Office in Srinagar.
Around 1,500 muftis, imams, and Islamic scholars of different thoughts and sects from across J&K including some prominent figures attended the meeting convened by Waqf Board on Saturday. The religious leaders from the Jammu region attended the meeting through video conferencing.
"During the meeting, participants discussed the need for greater coordination among religious scholars and uniformity in the themes addressed during Friday sermons across Waqf-associated institutions,” a Waqf Board official said.
He said it was decided that the proposed Core Committee would finalise sermon topics in advance and communicate them to the concerned religious scholars for implementation.
The proposed themes will focus on religious awareness, moral values, social harmony, unity and other matters of public and community interest in accordance with Islamic teachings.
J&K Waqf Board chairperson Dr. Syed Darakhshan Andrabi, who is a senior J&K BJP leader, emphasised the importance of collective efforts and effective coordination among religious scholars to ensure that Friday sermons deliver constructive and meaningful messages to the public.
The initiative, she said, is aimed to strengthen coordination among religious institutions and encourage sermons promoting moral responsibility, unity and harmony in society.
The decision, however, has drawn strong criticism from politicians.
Ruling National Conference spokesman Imran Dar in a post on X said, "Now @BJP4India will DRAFT Friday sermons for mosques across Kashmir (sic)."
"They will decide what issues our preachers will talk about, what color they will give them and what issues are brushed under the carpet. The content will be theirs, the wording will be theirs and the intent will be theirs," he said.
"I am not a fundamentalist but the Muslim that I am refuses to gilp this down. I am sure our religious leaders including @MirwaizKashmir oppose this with tooth and nail," Imran said.
Former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu in a post on X questioned the implications of the move for religious freedom. "If the BJP wants to decide what our Imams say in Friday sermons, what is left in this pretense of ‘freedom of religion’??? Or the Constitution?? " Mattu said.
"This is a page out of a Margaret Atwood novel. An assault on our religion, culture, language and history - one step at a time!" he added.
