Srinagar : While addressing the Friday congregation at Jama Masjid Srinagar, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq said that the banning of Jamia Siraj Ul Uloom under the stringent UAPA is a serious matter, stroking the apprehension among people that our religious identity, and educational institutions being run by trusts and local committees are being targeted, besides ruining the future of hundreds of students studying there.
Referring to the protests on this yesterday , Mirwaiz said that the dare by students and their parents to protest in these times, shows the urgency and deep distress it is causing to them.
He said that those at the helm should understand that if they are not seeing open resentment to such moves, it is because there is no space for people or leadership to express their disagreement and anguish with such policies. Mirwaiz said that the undercurrent of resentment against these policies can consolidate, if the state does not revisit this approach and allow the reopening of this institution and such others, letting them function as educational institutions everywhere do.
He urged those in power to reconsider this approach and earn people’s trust and goodwill rather than alienate them by such distressing measures.
Referring to the drug menace, Mirwaiz said that the state’s drive against drug peddlers and narcotics networks in Jammu and Kashmir is a welcome initiative and every sincere effort aimed at protecting the younger generation from the menace of addiction, which today is one of the gravest challenges facing society, is welcome.
At the same time, Mirwaiz said that one cannot ignore the fact that a generation raised among political conflict, uncertainty, stress and limited economic avenues is highly prone to substance abuse. He said this crisis cannot be seen only through the law and order prism and headline grabbing of arrests and property confiscation.
Mirwaiz said that many youth today are struggling with anxiety, hopelessness, and psychological distress as a fallout of political uncertainty and anxiety about their future. Therefore, while strict action against drug traffickers and dismantling of their networks is necessary, policing alone cannot solve this health emergency, nor heal a wounded society.
He said the situation demands a holistic approach where the younger generation sees settlement and opportunities that will rekindle hope and the promise of a bright future, which in itself will deter them away from drugs.
Mirwaiz said that with these objectives in mind, a campaign against drug abuse and for social reformation was also started around 2014, under the aegis of MMU ( Muthahida Majlis Ulema) stressing the role that mosques and imams can play in this endeavour. He said collective efforts from all sides can go a long way in dealing with this problem.
Simultaneously, Mirwaiz said, society must also honestly acknowledge that addiction is not limited only to narcotic drugs and that alcohol too is an intoxicant and a dangerous social evil. He said Islam has always strongly prohibited intoxicants because of the damage they cause to both the individual and society.
Mirwaiz said that Kashmir has historically been a society rooted in spirituality, morality, and social values and therefore, while action against drugs is necessary and welcome, the increasing normalisation and availability of alcohol in society is equally concerning.
He said official figures indicate that there are now hundreds of licensed liquor vends across Jammu and Kashmir, and revenues from liquor sales have increased substantially in recent years, raising an important question: can one form of addiction be fought while another is simultaneously expanded?
Mirwaiz pointed out that many Indian states, including Gujarat, Bihar and Nagaland, have implemented prohibition or strict restrictions on alcohol, showing that governments can adopt policies guided not merely by revenue considerations, but also by social welfare and public wellbeing.
Therefore, while supporting strong action against drug trafficking and addiction, Mirwaiz urged the government to seriously reconsider its alcohol policy in Jammu and Kashmir, and impose a total ban saying that a meaningful strategy to protect the youth must address all forms of intoxicants together.
“Our youth need education, opportunity, counselling, spiritual grounding, and constructive engagement—not substances that destroy their future,” Mirwaiz said.