A proposal by the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board to form a committee for selecting common topics for Friday sermons has triggered a fresh controversy, with muftis, imams and political leaders opposing what they see as interference in religious affairs. Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi, however, has maintained that no binding order has been issued and that clerics remain free to choose their subjects.
The controversy began after the Waqf Board moved to constitute a core committee of muftis, imams and khateebs to identify and finalise common subjects for Friday prayers at shrines, Jamia Masjids and other institutions under its administration. The Board presented the proposal as a way to coordinate sermons on social issues. Critics, however, say the problem is not the subjects themselves but the Board’s perceived attempt to decide what should be preached from mosque pulpits. Noorani praised Andrabi’s work on shrines and Waqf properties, saying public donations were being used properly While criticising the proposal. He, however, drew a clear distinction between managing religious properties and determining what clerics should preach, arguing that the latter falls outside the Board’s authority. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the initiative as an unacceptable attempt by the BJP to interfere in Muslim religious affairs and asked the BJP-appointed Waqf chairperson to stop it. Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the proposal, comparing the push for common sermons with the BJP’s approach to a Uniform Civil Code. Mehbooba argued that imams are best placed to choose subjects relevant to their local communities. She also demanded that control of the Waqf Board be handed over to Jammu and Kashmir’s elected government.
