Srinagar, Nov 13 (KNS): Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq on Friday returned to Srinagar's historic Jama Masjid after nearly two weeks of what he described as arbitrary house detention, expressing concern over repeated restrictions on his religious and public activities.
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‎In a statement issued to Kashmir News Service (KNS), Mirwaiz said the restrictions were causing inconvenience to people and interfering with his religious responsibilities.
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‎Addressing the Friday congregation at Jama Masjid, he questioned the repeated curbs on his movement, saying such measures amounted to unwarranted interference in the discharge of his obligations as the Mirwaiz of Kashmir.
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‎He said the pulpit of Jama Masjid had always stood for upholding faith and speaking the truth while reflecting the concerns and rights of the people.
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‎Mirwaiz maintained that he could not abandon his responsibility to raise issues affecting the people and their religious and social lives.
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‎Referring to the restrictions imposed on him, Mirwaiz expressed regret over the postponement of the first district-level meeting of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulama (MMU), which had been scheduled for November 4 in Bandipora.
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‎He said the meeting was intended to bring together religious scholars to discuss measures for taking forward the MMU's initiative launched in September to address various social and religious challenges confronting society.
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‎According to the statement, the proposed discussions were to focus on drug abuse, social evils, suicides among young people and environmental concerns, among other issues.
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‎Mirwaiz said the restrictions had forced the organisation to postpone the meeting, affecting its efforts to engage religious scholars at the district level on matters of public concern.
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‎He argued that collective initiatives aimed at social reform should be encouraged rather than obstructed, particularly when they sought to address problems affecting families and young people.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
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‎Meanwhile, Mirwaiz welcomed the recent decision of the Kashmir Waza Association to regulate wedding feast timings, particularly its move to ensure that late-night Wazwan dinners conclude by 10 pm.
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‎He described the decision as a positive step towards bringing discipline and simplicity to marriage celebrations while recognising the dignity and hard work of the traditional Waza community.
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‎Mirwaiz also assured the association of the MMU's full support for initiatives aimed at addressing social problems and reforming practices associated with marriage celebrations.
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‎However, he said the decision to regulate wedding feast timings, though a step in the right direction, was not sufficient to address the broader concerns surrounding increasingly expensive wedding celebrations in Kashmir.
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‎He expressed concern over growing extravagance, unnecessary additions to traditional wedding customs, excessive expenditure and competitive displays of wealth, saying these practices had placed enormous financial and social burdens on families.
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‎Mirwaiz said the increasing tendency to organise lavish weddings and introduce additional customs was making marriage ceremonies financially difficult for many families.
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‎He called for greater public awareness about the need to discourage wasteful spending and unnecessary practices associated with marriages.
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‎The Mirwaiz urged people to preserve the beauty and cultural significance of Kashmiri wedding traditions while doing away with practices that create avoidable financial pressure on families.
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‎He said marriages should be simple, dignified and affordable, in accordance with Islamic teachings, rather than becoming occasions for excessive expenditure and displays of wealth.
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‎Mirwaiz maintained that meaningful social reform required collective efforts and urged society to address practices that had made wedding celebrations increasingly burdensome.(KNS)
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