Srinagar, Nov 17 (UNI) For the sixth consecutive Friday, congregational prayers were not allowed at Kashmir’s historic Jamia mosque.

The Chief Cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is also the Hurriyat Conference head was placed under house arrest, the managing body of the mosque said.

Anjuman Auqaf, termed the administration’s decision to disallow Friday prayers for the sixth consecutive Friday at the grand mosque and placing Umar Farooq under continued house detention as “incomprehensible and greatly disturbing”.

“The grand mosque is being repeatedly targeted under the pretext of the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel,” the Anjuman said in a statement. It also criticised the authorities for detaining Mirwaiz.

The Anjuman said that while prayers have been banned in Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Israeli state since it launched a war against Palestinian people, locking down Jama Masjid in Kashmir belies the claims of normalcy by the administration here.

“The continuous ban on Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid, and undue restrictions on the activities of Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslims of Kashmir and negate the claims of normalcy.

So the authorities should revise their decision and allow prayers at the grand mosque and let Umar Farooq Sahib carry out his religious duties as the Mirwaiz of Kashmir, the Auqaf said.

Since October 13, the Friday prayers have not been allowed at Jamia mosque as authorities apprehend that there could be protests in support of Palestine.

(With UNI Inputs)