Kashmir Religious Leaders Reject Uniform Friday Sermons Amid Accusations of Government Overreach

A proposal by the Waqf Board in Indian-administered Kashmir to standardize Friday sermons across all mosques has ignited a significant backlash, with politicians and religious leaders accusing the government of attempting to exert control over Muslim religious affairs. The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, led by Darakshan Andrabi, a figure associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), announced the controversial plan last weekend. This move has been met with strong criticism from Kashmir’s top Muslim scholars, who have denounced it as "irresponsible interference into the religious affairs of Kashmiri Muslims." Andrabi defended the initiative, stating that a committee under the board would identify sermon topics, emphasizing its necessity for addressing regional issues like drug abuse. She asserted that religious scholars would approve the sermons, with no government officials involved in the final decision.

The Waqf Board had convened approximately 1500 scholars and preachers from the Kashmir region. According to one scholar who attended virtually from the Rajouri district, Andrabi mandated that only a pre-approved sermon, drafted by a committee of senior scholars, would be uniformly delivered. This scholar, who requested anonymity due to fear of reprisal, reported that objections regarding adherence to Islamic teachings were dismissed, with Andrabi declaring the decision final and the result of a four-year process.

Kashmir, a region claimed by both India and Pakistan, has experienced decades of political turmoil. Following allegations of election rigging, demands for a referendum evolved into an armed uprising in 1989. In 2019, India revoked Kashmir's semi-autonomous status, implementing direct federal rule and dividing the region into two federally governed territories. This decision also led to the replacement of local Islamic legal arrangements governing waqf (charitable bequests) with those applicable across India.

Local Kashmiri leaders have repeatedly accused the federally controlled Waqf Board of undermining religious freedoms and interfering with traditional practices since the new system granted it broad powers. Nayeem Akhtar, a former education minister, argued that centralized sermons were historically relevant in Islamic states but not in a secular one. He stressed that clerics have the freedom to speak on any topic, a right protected by law, and questioned why a political party like the BJP would dictate religious discourse, drawing parallels to a political party dictating Hindu or Christian religious practices.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir's chief Muslim religious leader, and the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema, a body he leads, characterized the proposal as "direct interference," asserting that sermon content is the domain of Islamic scholars, not administrative bodies. Omar Abdullah, a regional political leader, also voiced opposition.

In response to the widespread condemnation, Andrabi later clarified that the discretion to discuss social issues such as suicide, mental trauma, and substance abuse would be left to "independent scholars, preachers (and) sermonists."

This is not the first instance of the BJP-led administration facing accusations of attempting to control religious institutions. Earlier in January, Kashmiri Muslim scholars criticized the government for discriminatory practices after police distributed a form seeking detailed personal information about mosque imams and preachers. For years, Muslim groups have faced restrictions on prayer, with the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar frequently closed for significant religious events. While the administration cites peace as the reason for these restrictions, religious leaders view them as a "systematic assault on the religious identity, dignity, and fundamental rights" of Kashmiri Muslims. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has himself faced mobility restrictions, preventing him from delivering sermons on sensitive topics. The Waqf Board has also previously banned traditional practices like distributing yellow rice at shrines and collecting voluntary donations, citing new federal laws to assert direct financial control.

According to Noor Ahmad Baba, a political scientist and historian, religion has historically been a tool for political mobilization in Kashmir, making attempts to alter traditional religious arrangements politically sensitive. He suggested that the BJP's involvement makes the current exercise suspicious, noting that standardization from widely accepted clerics would not have caused such outrage. Baba acknowledged the need for religious leaders to address contemporary issues like drug addiction and climate change.

A political analyst specializing in the Kashmir conflict suggested that these actions are preemptive measures to contain potential protests amid rising Hindu nationalism in India. The analyst pointed to recent mosque demolitions in Indian cities as evidence of resurfacing far-right sentiments, which could provoke reactions in Kashmir. The attempts to control mosques are seen as part of the Modi administration's renewed communal posturing.