Mehbooba Mufti Opposes Uniform Friday Sermons, Demands Waqf Reform (Img: Dynamite News)
Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday opposed the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board’s proposal to introduce common themes for Friday sermons at mosques and shrines under its administration. She demanded that the management of Waqf properties be handed over to the elected government.
Mufti also called for the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), headed by Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Umar Farooq, to vet the proposed sermons, arguing that religious scholars should have the authority to decide their content.
The PDP chief said imposing a uniform format for Friday sermons across mosques and shrines in Jammu and Kashmir was inappropriate. She maintained that religious institutions and preachers should have the freedom to decide what is suitable for their congregations.
Mufti recalled opposing the Waqf amendment Bill in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, citing concerns over the administration of Muslim religious institutions and their properties.
She also questioned why Muslims were being excluded from decisions concerning their places of worship, arguing that the management of Waqf properties and funds should not be placed under government control without adequate consultation.
“If the government wants to go ahead with it, it will have to first handover the administration of waqf properties in J&K to elected government and let MMU headed by the Mirwaiz of Kashmir vet the sermons,” she said.
Mufti’s remarks come days after reports that the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board had decided to form a committee of religious scholars to develop themes for Friday sermons at mosques and shrines across the Union Territory.
The Board said the initiative was intended to promote religious awareness, moral values, social cohesion and national unity. However, the proposal has drawn objections from the MMU and Muslim legislators, who argue that standardising sermons goes against constitutional and religious principles.
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The issue has also triggered a wider debate over whether prescribing common themes for Friday sermons amounts to imposing a uniform social and political message across religious institutions.
Mufti stressed that decisions concerning Muslim places of worship must respect religious freedom and should not be dictated by the administration. She said every religious institution should be free to communicate religious teachings according to its own understanding and traditions.
The dispute over Friday sermons has added to tensions between Muslim religious institutions and the government over the administration of Waqf properties and funds. The question of who should control these institutions and determine the content of religious discourse is likely to remain a contentious issue in Jammu and Kashmir.
