The central mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir’s largest metropolis has largely remained closed for the previous two years amid a bitter dispute between Indian authorities and Kashmiri Muslims.
The centuries-old Jamia Masjid dominates its neighbourhood in Srinagar with an imposing foremost gate and massive turrets.
The constructing, product of brick and wooden, is among the oldest mosques within the metropolis of 1.2 million, 96 p.c of whom are Muslim, and sometimes attracts 1000’s to prayer.
With 378 picket pillars, it may maintain 33,000 worshippers.
On particular events through the years, tons of of 1000’s of Muslims fill close by lanes and roads to supply prayers led from the mosque.
Nonetheless, Indian authorities see the mosque as a bother spot – a nerve centre for protests and clashes that problem New Delhi’s sovereignty over the disputed Kashmir area, claimed in its entirety by India and Pakistan who rule over elements of it.
For Kashmiri Muslims, the mosque is a sacred place the place they provide necessary prayers on Fridays and in addition elevate their voices for political rights.
Amid these tensions, the mosque has largely been shuttered for the previous two years.
The mosque’s chief priest has been detained inside his house nearly continuous all through that point, and the mosque’s foremost gate is padlocked and blocked with corrugated tin sheets on Fridays.
‘One thing lacking deep inside my coronary heart’
The closure of the mosque, which is revered by Indian-administered Kashmir’s largely Muslim inhabitants, has deepened anger amongst them.
“One thing is lacking deep inside my coronary heart,” stated Bashir Ahmed, 65, a retired authorities worker who has supplied prayers on the mosque for greater than 50 years.
Indian authorities refused to touch upon the mosque restrictions regardless of repeated queries from The Related Press information company.
Up to now, officers have stated the federal government was pressured to shut the mosque as a result of its administration committee was unable to cease anti-India protests on the premises.
The shutting of the 600-year-old mosque got here in a clampdown that started in 2019 after the federal government stripped Indian-administered Kashmir of its long-held semi-autonomous standing.
Up to now two years, a few of the area’s different mosques and shrines – additionally closed for months as a result of safety crackdown and the following pandemic – have been allowed to supply non secular providers.
Jamia Masjid has remained out of bounds to worshippers for prayers on Fridays, the primary day of congregational worship in Islam.
Authorities permit the mosque to stay open the opposite six days, however only some hundred worshippers assemble there on these events, in contrast with the tens of 1000’s that always gathered on Fridays.
Freedom of faith is enshrined in India’s structure, permitting residents to comply with and freely observe their beliefs. The structure additionally says the state won’t “discriminate, patronise or meddle within the career of any faith”.
For the area’s Muslims, the mosque’s closure brings painful reminiscences from the previous.
In 1819, Sikh rulers closed it for 21 years. Through the previous 15 years, it has been topic to periodic bans and lockdowns by successive Indian governments.
However the present restrictions are essentially the most extreme because the area was divided between India and Pakistan after the 2 nations gained independence from Britain in 1947.
“India says it’s a secular nation. If that’s the case, why are we witnessing such non secular restrictions?” requested Zareef Ahmed Zareef, a poet and an oral historian.
After Kashmir’s eruption into an armed rebel in opposition to India in 1989, the grand mosque and its surrounding areas in Srinagar’s coronary heart emerged as central to the protests.
India has depicted the rebel as Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, a cost Pakistan denies.
Sermons on the Jamia Masjid would typically handle the long-simmering battle, with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief priest and one of many area’s high separatist leaders, giving fiery speeches highlighting Kashmir’s political battle.
Authorities typically clamped down banning prayers on the mosque for prolonged durations.
In keeping with official information, the mosque was closed for at the very least 250 days in 2008, 2010 and 2016 mixed.
“Folks on the mosque meditated and felt spirituality and Mirwaiz had a singular model of delivering sermons. Discussions round social, financial and political points have been the core non secular operate of the mosque,” stated Altaf Ahmad Bhat, one of many officers on the grand mosque.
Bhat dismissed the law-and-order causes cited by the authorities.
“I consider it’s their incompetence if they can’t deal with the state of affairs. We elevate our voice right here and it isn’t all the time political. I believe that is no argument in any respect,” he stated.