Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Dec 25: Srinagar Mayor today wrote a letter to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha urging him to allow the Friday prayers at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid where congregational prayers have not been allowed for the last 20 weeks.
In the letter, the Mayor has put the onus on the Jamia Auqaf in ensuring peace at Jamia Masjid to pave a way for the conduct of the congregational prayers.
In a letter written by Mattu to the LG, he has stated that the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, besides being the city’s main Jamia, is a place of great reverence and historical importance for the people of Srinagar.
“Congregational Friday prayers haven’t been allowed by the Administration at the Jamia Masjid for the 20th consecutive week now,” he wrote.
In the letter, the Mayor stated that believes that the Jamia Masjid management and elders will ensure peace and will also disallow any sort of “politicization”
“While I do believe that the Masjid Administration and elders-as with any place of worship-should ensure peace and disallow any politicization. I also firmly believe that it must be unacceptable to administratively normalize the locking-up of the Jamia Masjid as a pre-emptive measure in perpetuity,” he wrote in the letter.
He stated that if Friday prayers at the Jamia Masjid are being disallowed due to COVID concerns, “then it seems to be a very discriminatory and selective application of those guidelines.”
“I request you to kindly permit the conduct of Friday Congregational Prayers at the Jamia Masjid in deference to the faith and sentiments of the people of Srinagar,” he wrote.
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