Srinagar: Kashmir’s Muslim clerics are planning a coordinated Friday sermon campaign on drug abuse, suicide, family breakdown and social-media misuse, bringing religious institutions from different sects onto a common …

Srinagar: Kashmir’s Muslim clerics are planning a coordinated Friday sermon campaign on drug abuse, suicide, family breakdown and social-media misuse, bringing religious institutions from different sects onto a common platform to address social concerns.The initiative was announced by Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq at the Friday congregation at Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid.Participating mosques, ‘khanqahs’ and Shia ‘imambaras’ will be encouraged to take up the same issue on a designated Friday once a month or every month-and-a-half.Waqf Board restricts bird feeding, food distribution inside Kashmir shrinesThe aim is to keep public attention focused on one social problem at a time.“Additionally, we decided to pick a Friday, once a month or once in a month-and-a-half, when one khutbah will be delivered on one particular issue,” Mirwaiz said.The initiative follows a meeting of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an umbrella body of Muslim religious scholars in J&K headed by Mirwaiz, in Srinagar on Tuesday.More than 70 ulema and religious scholars from Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh attended the one-day meeting. The gathering adopted resolutions on social challenges, environmental responsibility and Muslim unity.The issues identified include drug and substance abuse, suicides and self-harm, emotional distress among young people, weakening family ties, irresponsible use of social media and environmental degradation.The MMU also stressed the need for sectarian harmony and respect for differences among Islamic schools of thought.The initiative is notable because Sunni and Shia Muslims in Kashmir generally worship in separate mosques.Shia communities also use ‘imambaras’ for religious gatherings and mourning rituals.The MMU plans to take the campaign beyond sermons. Its scholars will visit districts across the Union Territory and meet local religious committees, imams and NGOs.The meetings are intended to identify local problems and discuss possible responses.The proposal has some parallels abroad, but it is not a state-controlled sermon system. In Turkey, for example, the state-run Directorate of Religious Affairs publishes weekly Friday sermons.Kashmir’s proposal is different. It comes from the MMU rather than the government and seeks voluntary coordination among religious institutions around social issues.

Source: Deccan Herald