Mehbooba criticises profiling of mosques, imams by J&K police
Srinagar, Jan. 15 -- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday criticised the police's exercise of profiling the mosques and imams in Kashmir, calling it an "anti-Muslim" trend.
The former J&K chief minister said that police performa seeking names, photos, Aadhaar cards, bank details of imams, religious teachers or caretakers of mosques was aimed to criminalise the religious places of Muslims.
"Like an overground worker is harassed and asked to provide every detail in a police station, including name, photo, mobile number, bank account, similarly a mosque is now being made a crime scene. It is as if it is not a mosque but a place where a crime has happened where you ask a moulvi or imam to provide his details and bank account number and also reveal where you are getting the money," she said.
Mufti questioned why no such profiling was being done in temples where bribes were being allegedly asked for darshan or Dalits and women were being kept out. "If you want profiling, start with temples where Dalits are not allowed to enter. Take account of money there and its sources because people have to pay bribes for darshan there," she alleged. "Are you doing it to temples, gurudwaras or would you do it to churches? This happens nowhere in the country," she said.
Kashmir valley reacted in anger on Tuesday over the start of invasive profiling exercise of the imams and religious teachers of all the mosques and madrasas and their caretakers in the Valley by the J&K police.
Locals and leaders said that police are distributing forms to village numberdars to collect details of mosques and madrasas in the Valley, including finances of the institutions, personal details of imams and members of the religious institutions' management committees. The police cite the busting of a 'white collar terror module' last year in which there was involvement of an imam as the reason for the start of the exercise.
Mufti said that the profiling of mosques in J&K was aimed to terrorise Muslims.
"Police already have all the records of mosques and how much land there is in J&K. But now asking an imam to provide his photo, Aadhaar card, such invasive profiling- this is an attempt to wean away Muslims in J&K from their religion and to terrorise them. Already mosque management committees and imams are in fear," she said.
"This performa has been made of five pages and it is done as if it is not a Molvi, religious teacher or imam but an OGW," she said. Mufti said that all these actions like terminating services of employees or profiling mosques was "an anti-Muslim trend". "Treating mosques as crime spots or profiling mosque management committees, imams or molvis as if, God forbid, they are OGWs who are aides of terrorists. Unfortunately our government is also silent. Respectable people are associated with mosques but now you have dragged them into the circle of suspicion ...How much of disrespect of Kashmiri Muslims will be done," she said.
Mufti said that she feared that whatever they are doing to mosques in J&K currently, it will be replicated in the whole country. "First they dispossessed Muslims of Waqf property but now they (are targeting) mosques which are not even Waqf property," she said.
"They are even asking about our sects. What concern they have with our sects. Our mosques of Shia, Sunni or Barelvi- everybody can enter these places. It is open for all. It is not like a Dalit can't come and his child will be beaten for drinking water or only Brahmin can enter or a woman can't go inside a particular temple," she said. Mufti said the latest order regarding mosques is an infringement into our religion. "If they want to do this, then start with other religions as well. Find out who is the Pujari and in which temple and also in which temple a Shudra can or and in which a Brahmin can go," she said....
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