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 major 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, searching for details about the “ideological sect” it belongs to, the 12 months it was based, its sources of funding, month-to-month expenditure, the variety of folks it could congregate, and particulars on possession of the land on which the construction stands.
The remaining three pages acquire private particulars of the folks – imams, muezzins, khatibs – related to the mosque, together with their cellular numbers, emails, passport numbers 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.
The same kind has additionally been shared with the folks operating “madrasas” (spiritual faculties) within the area.
“This isn’t a spot the place you’ll be able to dwell in peace. From time to time, 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, the primary metropolis of the area.
“They’re asking for unusually detailed details about spiritual 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. Retaining such detailed data just isn’t secure for households like mine. In a battle space like Kashmir, this may have critical 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 spiritual establishments which have historically managed their very own affairs.
The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), the most important umbrella physique of Islamic spiritual teams in Kashmir, has opposed the profiling of mosques, calling it an try to manage spiritual establishments.
“Mosques are sacred locations meant for worship, steering and neighborhood service, and their inside spiritual affairs can’t be subjected to intrusive scrutiny,” the MMU stated in a press release, urging the federal government to cease the train, which it stated “creates concern and undermines belief throughout the Muslim neighborhood”.
‘Makes you are concerned’
Hafiz Nasir Mir has been working as an imam for about 15 years and at the moment leads the each day prayers at a mosque in Srinagar’s Lal Bazar space. He additionally acquired the shape however has not crammed it in but because of privateness issues.
“If this had been simply paperwork, the police wouldn’t have been asking for therefore many private particulars time and again,” Mir, 38, advised Al Jazeera.
“Additionally they need details about relations who dwell outdoors Kashmir and even outdoors India. These are non-public household issues and never issues meant for police data … When the authorities begin asking for such particulars at this degree, it makes you are concerned about how the knowledge is perhaps 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, nonetheless, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing authorities scrapped the legislation 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 spiritual freedoms, together with the denial of different rights.
The area’s major mosque, Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid, was shut for almost two years within the aftermath of the 2019 transfer, and nonetheless sees frequent closures and limits on the variety of folks allowed to congregate for Eid prayers.
India says the restrictions are momentary, calling them preventive measures to take care of legislation and order and curb “cross-border militancy” – a reference to Pakistan’s alleged help for Kashmiri rebels. Pakistan rejects India’s allegation, saying it offers solely diplomatic backing to the Kashmiris’ battle for self-determination.
A political analyst advised Al Jazeera the profiling of mosques raises critical questions on privateness and spiritual freedom.
“A balanced strategy is required, with clear guidelines, transparency, judicial oversight and involvement of native communities to take care of belief whereas making certain 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 stress 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 Social gathering (BJP), criticised the police train, calling it “discriminatory” and geared toward “creating concern 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 get together Nationwide Convention, stated the get together needs the profiling to cease. The area has had an elected authorities since 2024 – its first for the reason that 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 difficulty with him. We can not cease the profiling ourselves as a result of the police should not beneath 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 obligatory for accountability and transparency.
“Previous expertise tells us that mosques had been utilized in Kashmir by maulvis [prayer leaders] to ask folks to come back out and maintain pro-Pakistan rallies. Although it was stopped in 2019, some parts nonetheless use mosques as a political platform and for propaganda,” he stated.
“There may be nothing flawed with discovering out who funds mosques, the character of the land they’re constructed on, and the ideology they observe,” 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 accepted by them earlier than the prayers. “I can say we, the prayer leaders, will probably be requested to ship obligatory Friday sermons solely after getting approval from the involved police station.”