In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), the representative amalgam of religious social and educational organizations, has expressed strong resentment over the repeated closure of Jamia Masjid Srinagar by the authorities barring the Muslims from offering Friday prayers for the second consecutive week.
The MMU, headed by incarcerated Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in a statement in Srinagar said, people – especially elders, women and youth – from far and wide come to this historic mosque; and finding the masjid repeatedly locked down by the authorities causes them a lot of grief.
The MMU also expressed strong resentment to the decision of the Indian authorities to close down Falah-e-Aam educational institutions across the valley. It maintained that for years, the schools run by the FAT are providing education to the Kashmiri children and are a source of employment to thousands of people. By deciding to close them down, the authorities have jeopardised the interests of both the students and the staff, it added.
The MMU said many of its member constituents are running schools and other such institutions for decades to impart modern as well as moral and religious education to the children. It asked the authorities to take back this discriminatory decision and let the institutions run as before.—KMS
