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Four months on, hundreds gather at Srinagar’s oldest mosque Jamia Masjid since indefinite lockdown
Given Jamia Masjid is the Muslim-majority region’s biggest and oldest mosque, around 100 worshippers gathered to offer afternoon prayers.
Almost four months after Jammu and Kashmir was imposed with a lockdown by the Narendra Modi government, the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar reopened on Wednesday this week. The afternoon prayers were held in the central mosque in more than four months and brought an end to the virtual ban. Given Jamia Masjid is the Muslim-majority region’s biggest and oldest mosque, around 100 worshippers gathered to offer afternoon prayers. As part of the intense lockdown, security in the Valley was at an all time high and the region was also cut off from Internet and phone services indefinitely.
Speaking about Wednesday's afternoon prayers, Mufti Ghulam Rasool, who leads the daily prayers, told AP, “We were waiting for conditions to improve and the mosque gates to be opened by the police." The report revealed that the prayers at the mosque revolved around the Kashmir conflict. During the lockdown, various mosques around the state were shuttered down. The locals were left helpless as every day turned out to be nothing less than a battle.
Addressing the lockdown, a local trader Bashir Ahmed said, "Jamia Masjid is symbol of our faith. The assault on us is not just physical, they’re also desecrating our sacred symbols of our faith." Four months on, the living conditions in the Valley have somewhat eased. However, not entirely. Some mosques and Muslim shrines continue to remain shut or are open to limited access.
