The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board has come under criticism from regional parties and Imams over a reported move to bring uniformity to Friday sermons.
Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah called it unacceptable interference in the religious matters of Muslims. “This is a direct attempt by the BJP to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims and is completely unacceptable.
The BJP-appointed Chairperson should immediately stop this misplaced exercise to please her political masters,” Abdullah said.
People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti, the J&K Peoples Conference and the Awami Ittehad Party also criticised the move, calling it an assault on religious freedom. “We were not even allowed to express our viewpoint.
Senior National Conference leader Bashir Ahmad called the development unfortunate and said the Board should not meddle in religious matters. Rather, these instructions were verbally imposed on us,” Qari said. Rejecting allegations that the initiative sought to regulate religious discourse, Board Chairperson Dr Darakhshan Andrabi said there was no order in this regard. She said the proposed initiative was meant to tackle social problems and that scholars would decide for themselves what to preach.
