Srinagar, Dec 03: Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar Friday protested against the authorities’ decision of continuously barring Muslims from performing important religious duty of offering Friday prayers at Jama Masjid Srinagar.

Anjuman in a statement said that once again today the men, women and elderly people who came from various parts of the Valley were deprived from offering Friday prayers at the Jama Masjid Srinagar.

“It is the 43rd time this year and 17 consecutive Friday since Juma prayers have not been allowed in the Jama Masjid Srinagar while Muslims have not been allowed to offer congregational Friday prayers. The pulpit and mihraab of the grand mosque are silent which otherwise used to reverberate with the voices of Qaal Allah Wa Qaala Rasool (SAW),” it said.

Expressing outrage over the behaviour of the authorities, the Anjuman said “the Jama Masjid Srinagar was being kept closed for worship under a nefarious plan which was extremely painful for the Kashmiri people and also a sheer interference with religion.  Such measures expose the hollow claims of the proponents of the so-called democracy.”

“We and the people of Jammu and Kashmir are unable to understand that on the one hand, all the places of worship of the followers of different religions have been opened for the performance of their religious rites; while on the other hand, the Jama Masjid Srinagar is being subjected to vengeance, which is extremely regrettable and reprehensible.”

Anjuman has stressed upon opening of the Jama Masjid Srinagar and releasing its head Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq.