J&K Waqf Board takes U-turn on uniform Friday sermons
The J&K Waqf Board has reversed its decision to mandate uniform Friday sermons in mosques following significant public and political backlash. Chairperson Darakshan Andrabi clarified that sermon topics will be determined by religious scholars rather than political entities.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the tension between government-appointed boards and religious autonomy in the Jammu and Kashmir region.
In the face of opposition by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Kashmir chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti to the J&K Waqf Board’s move to introduce uniform Friday sermons in mosques, senior BJP leader and Board chairperson Darakshan Andrabi on Tuesday (October 13, 2026) took a U-turn and said “such decisions will be taken by preachers and not politicians”.
“There is no order to have uniform sermons. In a meeting on Sunday, religious scholars and preachers suggested to fight social evils collectively. Ulemas (scholars) and khateebs (preachers) will decide the topics for Friday sermons through a board. It’s them (preachers) and not politicians who get to decide on such matters,” Ms. Andrabi said.
She said the idea was to “forcefully and unitedly raise voice over social issues like drugs, late marriages, waywardness and the recent cases of damaging of orchards.”
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