Imams free to decide Friday sermon topics, says Darakhshan Andrabi

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board chairperson Darakhshan Andrabi on Tuesday said imams, khateebs and religious scholars were free to decide the subjects of their Friday sermons, clarifying that the Board had issued no directive making uniform sermons mandatory in mosques under its administration.

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Andrabi said neither the Board chairperson nor government machinery would dictate what religious leaders should preach. She maintained that the initiative to discuss common social concerns had emerged from deliberations among religious scholars.

Andrabi said the idea was to encourage religious leaders to address pressing social problems, including drug addiction, youth distress, suicides and other social concerns. She argued that discussing a particular issue across several mosques could help raise awareness and have a greater impact on local communities.

“There is no directive from here. No order has been issued,” she said, reiterating that imams and religious scholars would decide the content of their sermons independently.

The clarification comes amid a controversy over the Waqf Board’s proposal to establish a core committee of muftis, imams and khateebs to identify common themes for Friday sermons at mosques, shrines and other religious institutions associated with the Board.

The proposal was discussed at a meeting of religious scholars chaired by Andrabi at the Board’s central office in Sonwar, Srinagar, on October 10. An announcement following the meeting said the committee would finalise sermon topics in advance and communicate them to the concerned religious institutions. The stated objective was to promote religious awareness, moral values, social harmony and efforts to address social problems.

The proposal drew criticism from political and religious leaders, who questioned the prospect of a common framework for sermons and raised concerns about religious autonomy.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah criticised the move as interference in religious affairs, while Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti and religious leaders also voiced objections to the proposal.

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema, associated with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, opposed what it viewed as administrative interference in religious matters, maintaining that sermon content should remain the responsibility of religious scholars and imams.