In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), the representative amalgam of religious social and educational organizations held a meeting at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, today.
The MMU denounced the authorities for asking Muslim students in schools and other educational institutions to sing Hindu religious songs and do Surya Namaskar. It said these diktats hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims and create anguish in them.
The MMU in a resolution expressed deep and serious concern over attempts being made to weaken the Muslim identity of this ‘Valley of Saints’ and strongly regretted activities being implemented through schools and educational institutions aimed at furthering the Hindutva agenda in Kashmir.
“This meeting expresses serious resentment against imposing acts in the name of yoga and morning prayers in educational institutions wherein Muslim students are made to chant Bhajans and at times asked to perform Surya Namaskar. This is against the fundamentals of our religious practices.
The meeting notifies the authorities, education department and agencies concerned that such activities will not be tolerated by the Muslims in Kashmir as it is a direct challenge to their religious and Islamic beliefs.
As such MMU appeals to the authorities to immediately withdraw their orders and stop these practices in schools and educational institutions, which deeply hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims and cause them grief.
This meeting urges the parents that if their children are forced to participate in un-Islamic activities in government schools, they should withdraw their children from these schools and enroll them in private schools. This meeting urges Muslim teachers to avoid promoting such un-Islamic activities and give preference to their faith and Imaan.
The MMU expresses satisfaction that Friday prayers and five daily prayers are now being allowed by the authorities at central Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and people are not being stopped from assembling at the mosque as such it appeals to authorities to now release its Patron Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and end his illegal house arrest since Auf 2019, in wake of the coming holy month of Rabiul Awwwal so that the Mirwaiz can pursue his religious obligations and duties.
This meeting also raises its voice in strong protest against tarnishing the reputation of Islamic centres and Muslim institutions in Jammu and Kashmir by arbitrary arrests of Islamic scholars, preachers and imams and booking them under PSA and sending them to outside Jails. It condemns this act and calls for their immediate release.”—KMS
