IIOJK Authorities Disallow Friday Prayers At Jamia Masjid Srinagar

Authorities once again prevented people from offering congregational Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Oct, 2021 ) :Authorities once again prevented people from offering congregational Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

According to Kashmir Media Service (KMS), the authorities continued to deploy Indian troops and police personnel around the historic mosque and disallowed people to offer Juma prayers at the religious place.

The Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid in a statement, today said, heavy deployment of forces' personnel was made 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 namazis (worshipers) were not allowed inside the mosque for offering the obligatory Friday prayers, it said.

The Anjuman Auqaf said that the earlier pretext of COVID-19 pandemic by the authorities to prevent Muslims from offering Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid stood 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," it read.

The Anjuman Auqaf of Jamia Masjid on Wednesday told the authorities for holding of Juma prayers in the grand mosque in view of the blessed month of Rabi-ul-Awwal and the decline in COVID-19 infections.

In a statement it said the authorities had no justification to keep the largest place of worship � Jamia Masjid Srinagar � closed.

The Anjuman Auqaf said on the occasion, people in Jamia and other big mosques were to seek salvation of humanity from COVID-19 pandemic along with repentance of sins, before Almighty Allah.

The Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who used to deliver weekly Friday sermon at the historic mosque, continued to remain under house arrested since August 2019.