Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Reports House Arrest amid Waqf Act Controversy

Synopsis

On April 11, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq claimed he was placed under house arrest in Srinagar, preventing him from delivering his sermon at the Jamia Masjid. This incident comes amid tensions surrounding the Waqf Amendment Act, with authorities also banning the Awami Action Committee for its alleged anti-national activities.

Key Takeaways

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is under house arrest in Srinagar.
He was barred from delivering his weekly sermon at the Jamia Masjid.
The MMU meeting to discuss the Waqf Amendment Act was canceled by authorities.
The Awami Action Committee has been banned for five years.
Mirwaiz heads the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference.

Srinagar, April 11 (NationPress) Senior separatist and religious figure Mirwaiz Umar Farooq claimed on Friday that he has been placed under house arrest by the authorities in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, which has prevented him from delivering his customary sermon and performing prayers at the Jamia Masjid.

On the platform X, Mirwaiz Umar stated, “Once again, this Friday I am under house arrest and prohibited from praying at the Jama Masjid. It is both distressing and outrageous that authorities continue to infringe upon my fundamental religious rights at their discretion. The resolution drafted by the MMU - whose meeting was also obstructed, regarding the Waqf Amendment Act will be announced today in mosques, shrines, and Imambaras across J&K.”

Just two days prior, the authorities had prevented the Mutahida Majlis Ulema (MMU) meeting -- a coalition of religious organizations in the Valley led by Mirwaiz -- which was organized at his residence to deliberate on the implications of the Waqf Amendment Act.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently imposed a five-year ban on the Awami Action Committee (AAC), which is chaired by Mirwaiz Umar. The MHA's directive described the AAC as a secessionist entity engaged in anti-national activities and inciting youth towards violence.

The AAC was established in 1963 by the late Mirwaiz Maulana Mohammad Farooq during the Holy Relic movement.

Following the assassination of the elder Mirwaiz by terrorists in 1990 at his home in Srinagar, the AAC came under the leadership of his son, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

In another directive, the MHA also banned the Ittihadul Muslimeen for five years, which is led by Maulvi Masroor Abbas. This organization was prohibited for its activities deemed harmful to the state's interests and for acting against the nation.

The Ittihadul Muslimeen was part of the separatist Hurriyat Conference and was previously led by the senior Shia leader Maulvi Abbas Ansari. After his death, his son, Maulvi Masoor Ansari, took over the leadership.

The Mirwaiz heads the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, which was formed in 2003 after the group split into two factions -- the hardline faction led by the late Syed Ali Shah Geelani and the moderate faction led by Mirwaiz Umar. However, numerous associated groups are now distancing themselves and pledging allegiance to the constitution of India.