Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid has strongly condemned the continued closure of the historic Jama Masjid on the occasion of Jumatul Vida, the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, when tens of thousands of devotees traditionally gather from towns and villages to offer congregational prayers and supplications. The Auqaf said that authorities once again locked the gates of the historic mosque from all sides and placed Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq under house arrest, preventing him from delivering the sermon and leading the prayers on this sacred occasion. The management expressed deep anguish that for the seventh consecutive year, Muslims have been denied the opportunity to offer Jumatul Vida prayers at the Valley’s central congregational mosque. It said that such restrictions not only hurt the religious sentiments of the people but also amount to denying worshippers their fundamental right to pray in the house of Allah. The Auqaf also noted that this approach of the authorities has resulted in the arbitrary closure of Jama Masjid multiple times throughout the year, reflecting continued insecurities and what it termed an unjustified policy of restrictions on religious practices. Reacting to the development, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq said that on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramzan, when tens of thousands gather from towns and villages for prayers and supplication at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, its gates have once again been locked. He said that for the seventh consecutive year, the rulers have denied Muslims the right to offer prayers at Jama Masjid on this auspicious day. Mirwaiz added that just as Israel has forcibly shut the gates of Masjid al-Aqsa during Ramzan, a similar painful reality is being witnessed here. “Our hearts bleed,” he said, adding that it is deeply shameful that the houses of Allah are being locked against the faithful.