Mohammad Nawaz Khan regrets the day his father, Sanaullah Khan, a retired authorities worker, agreed to go the managing committee of the neighbourhood mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir’s fundamental metropolis of Srinagar.
Khan’s worries started earlier this month after the police began distributing a four-page kind, actually titled “profiling of mosques”, to their functionaries, triggering fears of elevated surveillance and allegations of a discriminatory coverage in direction of the residents within the disputed Muslim-majority area.
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One web page of the shape collects details about the mosque itself, in search of details about the “ideological sect” it belongs to, the yr it was based, its sources of funding, month-to-month expenditure, the variety of individuals it could possibly congregate, and particulars on possession of the land on which the construction stands.
The remaining three pages gather private particulars of the individuals – imams, muezzins, khatibs and others – related to the mosque, together with their cell numbers, emails, passport, bank card and checking account particulars. The extra insidious columns within the kind ask the respondents to declare if they’ve relations overseas, the “outfit” they’re related to, and even the mannequin of their cell phone and their social media handles.
An identical kind has additionally been shared with the individuals operating “madrasas” (non secular colleges) within the area.
“This isn’t a spot the place you possibly can reside in peace. Every so often, we’re requested to fill out one kind or one other,” Nawaz, 41, advised Al Jazeera as he sat inside his grocery store in Jawahar Nagar space of Srinagar.
“They’re asking for unusually detailed details about non secular establishments and people linked to them. The shape seeks particulars about sectarian affiliation, funding sources, land possession, charitable actions, and rather more,” he stated.
“I don’t perceive why the police want this a lot private info. Protecting such detailed data will not be protected for households like mine. In a battle space like Kashmir, this could have severe penalties.”
Residents say the police train feels much less like a routine survey and extra like an try by the state to exert management over Kashmir’s non secular establishments which have historically managed their very own affairs.
The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), the biggest umbrella physique of Islamic non secular teams in Kashmir, has opposed the profiling of mosques, calling it an try to manage non secular establishments.
“Mosques are sacred locations meant for worship, steerage and neighborhood service, and their inner non secular affairs can’t be subjected to intrusive scrutiny,” the MMU stated in an announcement, urging the federal government to cease the train, which it stated “creates worry and undermines belief throughout the Muslim neighborhood”.
‘Makes you are worried’
Hafiz Nasir Mir has been working as an imam for about 15 years and at present leads the each day prayers at a mosque in Srinagar’s Lal Bazar space. He additionally obtained the shape however has not stuffed it in but as a consequence of privateness issues.
“If this have been simply paperwork, the police wouldn’t have been asking for therefore many private particulars repeatedly,” Mir, 38, advised Al Jazeera.
“In addition they need details about relations who reside outdoors Kashmir and even outdoors India. These are personal household issues and never issues meant for police data … When the authorities begin asking for such particulars at this stage, it makes you are worried about how the knowledge may be used later.”
The Himalayan area of Kashmir is claimed by each India and Pakistan, who management elements of it and have fought three wars over it since their independence from British rule in 1947. China additionally controls a sliver of Kashmir’s land.
Article 370 of the Indian Structure granted Indian-administered Kashmir partial autonomy over issues associated to training, employment and land possession. In 2019, nevertheless, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing authorities scrapped the regulation and divided the area into two federally-governed territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Since then, New Delhi’s direct management over Kashmir has seen restrictions on non secular freedoms, together with the denial of different rights.
The area’s fundamental mosque, Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, was shut for nearly two years within the aftermath of the 2019 transfer, and nonetheless sees frequent closures and limits on the variety of individuals allowed to congregate for Eid prayers.
India says the restrictions are short-term, calling them preventive measures to keep up regulation and order and curb “cross-border militancy” – a reference to Pakistan’s alleged assist for Kashmiri rebels. Pakistan rejects India’s allegation, saying it supplies solely diplomatic backing to the Kashmiris’ battle for self-determination.
A political analyst advised Al Jazeera the profiling of mosques raises severe questions on privateness and religious freedom.
“A balanced strategy is required, with clear guidelines, transparency, judicial oversight and involvement of native communities to keep up belief whereas guaranteeing safety for everybody,” he stated on situation of anonymity over fears of reprisals from the authorities.
“Many individuals additionally see the train as discriminatory, saying it locations strain on Muslim establishments with out related scrutiny of different faiths.”
‘Turning mosques into crime scenes’
Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of the area who as soon as led a coalition authorities with Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Celebration (BJP), criticised the police train, calling it “discriminatory” and aimed toward “creating worry amongst Muslims”.
“By doing so, they’re turning mosques into crime scenes. Can the federal government do the identical with [Hindu] temples, [Sikh] gurdwaras or church buildings?” she requested, holding a duplicate of the police kind throughout a information convention in Srinagar.
Imran Nabi Dar, spokesman for the area’s governing occasion Nationwide Convention, stated the occasion needs the profiling to cease. The area has had an elected authorities since 2024 – its first because the revocation of Article 370 in 2019 – however most govt powers relaxation with the New Delhi-appointed lieutenant governor.
“The authorities have already carried out a number of surveys within the Kashmir valley. There is no such thing as a have to conduct one other one unnecessarily,” Dar advised Al Jazeera. “As soon as authorities representatives meet the lieutenant governor, we are going to elevate the problem with him. We can not cease the profiling ourselves as a result of the police will not be below our management, as Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory.”
Defending the profiling of mosques, Altaf Thakur, spokesman for the BJP in Kashmir, stated surveillance was mandatory for accountability and transparency.
“Previous expertise tells us that mosques have been utilized in Kashmir by maulvis [prayer leaders] to ask individuals to return out and maintain pro-Pakistan rallies. Although it was stopped in 2019, some components nonetheless use mosques as a political platform and for propaganda,” he stated.
“There’s nothing improper with discovering out who funds mosques, the character of the land they’re constructed on, and the ideology they comply with,” Thakur stated. “We have to know what’s taught in these mosques.”
Mir, the imam on the Lal Bazar mosque, fears the authorities would quickly ask them to get their sermons authorised by them earlier than the prayers. “I can say we, the prayer leaders, shall be requested to ship obligatory Friday sermons solely after getting approval from the involved police station.”
