House Arrest Bars Mirwaiz From New Year’s First Friday Sermon

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chief cleric of Kashmir, on Friday said he was prevented once again from delivering the traditional Friday sermon at Srinagar’s historic Jama Masjid after being placed under house arrest, forcing him to address people through social media instead.

- Observer News Service

Calling the confinement “deeply suffocating”, Mirwaiz said the denial of access to the pulpit reflected a broader silencing of Kashmiri society. “I meet you on the first Friday of the year, not in Jama Masjid, as the Mirwaiz should, but on social media,” he said, adding that arbitrary house arrests had become a recurring feature of his life, with 14 Fridays spent under detention last year alone.

Reflecting on 2025, Mirwaiz described it as a year marked by tragedy, fear and uncertainty. He referred to the Pahalgam attack, which he said was unanimously condemned in the Valley but followed by anxiety, targeting of people and demolition of homes. He also cited another India-Pakistan war as a reminder of the fragility of peace in the region and the year-end blast in New Delhi that claimed several lives.