Srinagar: The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), a prominent representative forum for religious leaders and organizations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, has voiced strong opposition against local authorities for restricting religious freedoms. The group condemned the barring of Shab-e-Qadr and Jumat-ul-Wida prayers at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid and expressed discontent over the house arrest of its leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

In a statement released in Srinagar, the MMU criticized the authorities for preventing the largest Muslim congregation in the region from gathering, stating that even conflict zones globally allow such religious gatherings. The MMU plans to use the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr to collectively speak out against the proposed Waqf Amendment Bill, which they claim undermines the interests of the Muslim community in Jammu and Kashmir.

The MMU has urged the Indian government to reconsider the Bill and recognize the religious rights of Muslims in the region. The organization includes a wide array of religious and community institutions, such as the Anjuman Auqaf Jamia Masjid, Muslim Personal Law Board, and Darul Uloom Rahimiyah Bandipora, among others.