Srinagar, Oct 13 (PTI) Under fire from across Jammu and Kashmir’s political and religious spectrum, J-K Waqf Board Chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi on Tuesday mounted a hasty defence of a proposed plan for a common social issue for Friday sermons, rejecting accusations of state control by claiming the idea belonged solely to religious scholars.
The proposal has drawn sharp condemnation from political parties and religious bodies, who termed it a “forcible state intrusion” into the religious sphere.
Andrabi, who is no stranger to controversy, previously faced backlash when a national emblem was installed inside the Hazratbal shrine during renovation work, which ultimately had to be removed.
Facing criticism from political and religious leaders, Andrabi said that Wakf had passed no order regarding uniform sermons and asserted that the initiative originated from a collective meeting of Islamic scholars and preachers associated with the Waqf Board held here on Saturday.
She again made it clear that there was no official government decree or any political agenda.
“This was everyone’s collective concern; it was not a unilateral decision imposed by us. Rather, religious scholars and prominent intellectuals from across Jammu and Kashmir assembled here and made this decision: With societal evils rising, why shouldn’t a Friday sermon universally emphasise eradicating these social ills?” she told PTI, adding that even Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had highlighted the need to address social issues in his Friday sermon at Jamia Masjid.
However, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah launched a scathing attack on the Waqf chief, calling the move an “unacceptable attempt by the BJP to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims.”
“The BJP-appointed Chairperson must immediately halt this misplaced attempt to please her masters,” Abdullah wrote on X.
The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) — an amalgam of several religious and socio-religious organisations of Jammu and Kashmir — headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, alleged that it was “forcible state intrusion into the religious sphere, which is against law and principles of freedom of religious practice”.
Joining the criticism, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said the move was “yet another interference in our religion and faith”.
She alleged that it is the “BJP’s agenda” to harass Muslims and interfere with their religion.
She told reporters that just like the Uniform Civil Code, they want to bring uniformity here in the sermons as well and claimed that Jammu and Kashmir has been turned into a “laboratory” for the BJP, and the order calling for uniformity in Friday sermons “serves as a testing ground”.
“First, it is tested in the laboratory, and then it is implemented across the entire country. Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim-majority state. Who are they to decide what sermon our Molvis and Imams will deliver on Fridays?” she said.
Andrabi, however, said that Islamic scholars (ulema) and religious guides have a duty to show the correct path beyond the ritual prayers, while asserting it was a collective decision and there was no hidden agenda or “official government decree”.
“The Friday sermon (khutbah) is delivered; teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) are imparted. What our religion teaches us about community, brotherhood and humanity and that there should be no evils in society is what we have been hearing almost since childhood. It was collectively decided by Islamic scholars that dealing with social issues is a common cause,” Andrabi told PTI.
She said most mosques and shrines are under the jurisdiction of the Waqf Board and educated, intellectually conscious Imams are associated with it.
In a statement, the MMU said that even the suggestion that a statutory body could determine or regulate what is to be preached from the ‘Mimbar’ is “ridiculous” and will never be accepted by the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The state or government cannot assume for itself the authority to determine religious discourse and scripted speech to be delivered, or interfere in matters of faith and religious practice,” it said.
The amalgam asked the Waqf Board to remain within its administrative responsibility of management, maintenance and protection of Waqf properties entrusted to it, rather than come up with “such a devious agenda and unnecessary controversy”. PTI SSB/MIJ SKL RT
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