Srinagar, Aug 07: The Office of the Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday issued a clarification over a video clip of Grand Mufti Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam Farooqi’s recent address circulating on social media, asserting that a brief excerpt from the speech was being shared out of context, resulting in unwarranted criticism and misconceptions.
According to a statement, Grand Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir, Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam Farooqi’s office said that only a small portion of the address has been widely circulated online without the accompanying context, leading to misinterpretation of the Grand Mufti’s observations and sparking avoidable controversy.
The statement said that, in discharge of the responsibility entrusted to Islamic scholars, the Grand Mufti had, during his address, highlighted the growing concerns of sectarianism, attempts to create discord among the public, activities detrimental to public peace, and the conduct of certain self-styled controversial speakers whose irresponsible approach, it said, has caused serious harm to the unity and cohesion of the Muslim Ummah.
Clarifying the intent of the address, the office said the speech was never directed against any particular sect, school of thought or section of society. Rather, its purpose was to call for the correction of attitudes and practices that are inconsistent with the teachings of Islam, the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the ethical values embodied in the Prophetic tradition.
The statement further said that attacking the dignity of individuals, using religious platforms to settle personal differences, and promoting hatred and division instead of the Prophet’s message of compassion, unity and mutual respect cannot be regarded as service to religion and only weakens the collective interests of the Muslim community.
Expressing concern over the manner in which the clip has been circulated, the Grand Mufti’s Office said it was unfortunate that opinions were being formed on the basis of an isolated sentence without listening to the complete address. It stressed that fairness and intellectual honesty require that any statement be heard and understood in its entirety before conclusions are drawn.
The office appealed to religious scholars, imams, preachers and the general public to uphold the principles of unity, mutual respect and exemplary moral conduct, stating that these values form the essence of the Quran and Sunnah and have always remained the guiding principles of the Islamic scholarly tradition.
The statement concluded with a prayer for Almighty Allah to grant the Muslim Ummah the ability to recognise and uphold the truth and to preserve unity, brotherhood and harmony within the community.
