Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr Moulvi Mohammad Umar Farooq has expressed serious concern over reports that the historic Race Course Mosque in New Delhi, a gazetted Waqf property since 1977 and a listed heritage site, has been served a six-day eviction notice. He has also questioned whether religious endowments are adequately protected under the amended Waqf framework.
In a post on X issued from Srinagar on October 20, the Mirwaiz described the development as deeply disturbing. “Deeply disturbing that Delhi’s historic Race Course Mosque, a gazetted Waqf property since 1977 and a listed heritage site, faces eviction within six days. Equally alarming is the reported failure of the Waqf authorities to defend it. Is this becoming the new normal for Muslim places of worship?” he said.
He added that the episode illustrates why he and others had strongly opposed the Waqf amendments and the increased government control exercised through appointed nominees over Muslim religious endowments. “If even a legally recognised mosque cannot be protected, what safeguards remain for others?” he asked.
The remarks draw on a debate that has run through Kashmir and several other parts of the country since the amended Waqf legislation was brought in. Religious and community leaders have repeatedly voiced concern about the autonomy of Muslim religious institutions, the accountability of Waqf authorities and the protection of religious properties from arbitrary interference. For many in the Valley, where mosques, shrines and Waqf holdings form a central part of social and religious life, such questions carry particular weight.
A Waqf property is one that has been dedicated permanently for religious or charitable purposes, and its legal recognition through a gazette notification is meant to provide a measure of protection against encroachment and removal. The Mirwaiz’s argument rests on the point that both the gazetting of the mosque in 1977 and its listing as a heritage site should, in principle, have shielded it from the kind of action now reported. His criticism of the Waqf authorities for an alleged failure to defend the structure shifts the focus from the notice itself to the institutions that are expected to safeguard such properties.
The statement also reflects a broader unease that the Mirwaiz has articulated over the years about the place of Muslim institutions in public life. By posing the question of whether such events are turning into the norm, he has sought to draw attention to what he sees as a pattern rather than an isolated case.
Details of the notice and any response from the authorities concerned were not part of his message. Community leaders are likely to watch closely how the matter is addressed, particularly with the deadline of six days attached to the reported eviction order.
