Waqf Board’s sermon plan faces pushback in J&K

Srinagar, Oct 13: The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board’s proposal for common themes in Friday sermons has drawn opposition from political and religious leaders across the Valley.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), Peoples Conference (PC) president Sajad Lone, National Conference (NC) leaders and Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir have questioned the move, citing concerns over religious freedom and the autonomy of the pulpit.
The opposition has further come from NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq, former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu and Budgam MLA Aga Muntazir Mehdi, while the MMU has urged the Waqf Board to restrict itself to managing religious properties instead of intervening in matters of faith.
CM Abdullah termed the proposal “an unacceptable attempt” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims, demanding that the Waqf Board chairperson immediately halt the initiative.
In a post on X, Omar said, “This is an unacceptable attempt by the BJP to interfere in the religious affairs of Muslims and will not be accepted under any circumstances. The BJP appointed Chairperson must immediately halt this misplaced attempt to please her masters.”
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti strongly opposed the proposal, questioning who would decide what Imams should preach during Friday prayers. She said that local religious scholars were better placed to understand the concerns of their communities.
“Our imams and maulvis know what to say and when to speak,” Mehbooba said during a press conference in Srinagar.
Describing Jammu and Kashmir as a “laboratory for the BJP”, she called for the Waqf Board to be brought under the administrative control of the elected Jammu and Kashmir government. Mufti suggested that religious matters be addressed through established bodies of Islamic scholars, including the MMU headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
The MMU also rejected the proposal, saying even the suggestion that a statutory body could determine or regulate what was preached from the mimbar, or pulpit, was unacceptable.
In a statement, the amalgam of religious and socio-religious organisations described the mimbar as an “Amanah” (sacred trust), maintaining that religious guidance was the domain of Ulema, Imams and recognised religious institutions rooted in Islamic scholarship and the traditions of different schools of thought.
“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,” the MMU said.
The amalgam drew a distinction between voluntary coordination among religious scholars to address common social concerns and intervention by an administrative body, saying any attempt by a state-linked institution to prescribe sermon themes amounted to intrusion into the religious sphere.
PC president and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone described the proposed vetting of Friday sermons as interference in religious freedom and the autonomy of the pulpit.
In a post on X, Lone said, “The pulpit belongs to faith, not government micromanagement. Hands off our mosques.”
NC chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq demanded the withdrawal of the directive, questioning the authority of the BJP to decide what Imams and Khateebs should say during Friday prayers.
“What kind of an order is this, where you tell imams and khateebs what they have to say? Will the BJP now decide which khutbah should be delivered? I think this order should be taken back,” Sadiq said.
He said Imams and Khateebs spend years studying the Quran and Hadith and should be allowed to deliver sermons based on Islamic teachings and the issues faced by society
NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar alleged that the move could allow the BJP to influence the content and direction of Friday sermons.
“Now @BJP4India will DRAFT Friday sermons for mosques across Kashmir,” Dar wrote on X, alleging that the content, wording and intent of sermons could come under the party’s influence.
Dar said he is confident that religious leaders, including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, would oppose the move.
Former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu questioned the implications of the proposal for religious freedom and constitutional guarantees. “If the BJP wants to decide what our Imams say in Friday sermons, what is left in this pretense of ‘freedom of religion’??? Or the Constitution??” Mattu wrote on X.
MLA Budgam Aga Muntazir Mehdi said the Waqf Board’s role should remain confined to managing its properties and institutions rather than dictating religious discourse. “Waqf’s job is management, not dictating sermons,” Mehdi wrote on X, maintaining that Imams and Khateebs did not need a prescribed agenda to guide their communities.
The controversy followed the Waqf Board’s announcement that a proposed core committee comprising Muftis, Imams and Khateebs would identify common themes for Friday sermons across affiliated mosques and religious institutions. (KNO)