Srinagar, India-administered Kashmir – On a sunlit June Friday successful Srinagar’s Old City, the Jamia Masjid stands arsenic it ever has, ornate and imposing. Its 14th-century woody pillars person been witnesses to centuries of sermons and struggle.
Inside, astir 4,000 worshippers beryllium successful silence.
When Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the spiritual person of Kashmir’s Muslims, rises to speak, helium does truthful with grace but caution. Draped successful his customary golden-bordered achromatic thobe and crowned with a brownish Karakuli hat, helium delivers a sermon laced with quiescent prayers.
“As we participate the caller Islamic year,” helium said, “I widen greetings to the full Muslim Ummah. May Allah assistance america peace, unity and strength, support the oppressed, and usher our leaders with contented and righteousness successful these investigating times.”
His code is unrecognisable from conscionable a fewer years ago, erstwhile the present 52-year-old mirwaiz – arsenic Kashmir’s main Muslim person is known – was a fiery orator, thundering with conviction, his speeches a almighty cocktail of spiritual messaging and politics.
For astir 3 decades, Kashmir’s ultimate Muslim person was besides 1 of the region’s astir influential voices arguing for its independency from India done peaceful dialogue, astatine a clip erstwhile the vale was a cauldron of violence. An equipped secessionist conflict that kicked disconnected successful the 1980s led to a monolithic Indian information beingness successful Kashmir, and since then, much than 40,000 radical person been killed according to Indian authorities estimates.
Farooq’s speeches would often invoke Kashmir’s close to independence. Seven years ago, connected June 2, 2018, for instance, the mosque brimmed with much than 30,000 worshippers. Farooq, visibly impassioned, ascended the pulpit.
“This pulpit volition ne'er autumn silent,” helium proclaimed. “The Jamia mimbar volition proceed to talk information and beryllium connected the broadside of justness … Kashmir is our nation, lone we volition determine its fate.”
The assemblage erupted. Chants of “Azaadi [freedom]!” thundered wrong the mosque.
But Kashmir has since changed: In 2019, the authorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi unilaterally revoked Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status, guaranteed astatine the clip nether the Indian Constitution, which was followed by a information clampdown and administrative restrictions. Thousands were arrested, including Farooq, who was placed nether location arrest. It would beryllium 4 years earlier helium was released successful 2023.
On this Friday, it seems similar Farooq has changed, too. Gone is the defiant rhetoric that erstwhile defined him. There are nary overt governmental cues successful his sermon, lone verses from scripture, calls for patience, and appeals for assemblage calm.
The assemblage listens. Respectful, but dissimilar successful earlier years, unmoved.
Outside, crossed Kashmir, a question is opening to instrumentality hold. Few accidental it retired aloud, but the conversations are real: Is the head-priest adapting to past successful a changed Kashmir, oregon is helium fading into irrelevance?

Who is the mirwaiz?
In Kashmir’s analyzable governmental and spiritual landscape, fewer figures embody some reverence and endurance rather similar Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Thrust into nationalist beingness astatine the property of 17 aft the assassination of his begetter – the erstwhile mirwaiz – successful 1990, allegedly by rebels from a Pakistan-backed equipped group, Farooq inherited not conscionable the pulpit, but a legacy.
As the mirwaiz of Kashmir, his authoritative relation was rooted successful spiritual scholarship. But successful Kashmir, the mimbar is seldom conscionable theological.
Farooq rapidly emerged arsenic a distinctive dependable – soft-spoken, scholarly and deliberate. Unlike galore contemporaries who were drawn towards the increasing equipped uprising of the 1990s, Farooq chose the way of nonviolence and negotiation. As the vale slipped deeper into militarised conflict, helium became a starring fig successful the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), a conjugation advocating for a peaceful, negotiated solution to the Kashmir dispute.
Kashmir is claimed successful afloat by India and Pakistan, though some power parts of it. In Indian-administered Kashmir, meanwhile, pro-independence sentiments person simmered since 1947, erstwhile the portion acceded to India astatine the clip of partition.
Farooq positioned himself arsenic a moderate, walking the tightrope betwixt thoroughfare sentiment and diplomatic possibility. “Mirwaiz Umar has ever positioned himself arsenic a mean politician, a believer successful the instauration of dialog and idiosyncratic who has been flexible successful his governmental stance,” said Gowhar Geelani, author-journalist and governmental analyst. “The caput clergyman has shown willingness to speech with each stakeholders, including the federation states of Pakistan and India, and antithetic civilian nine coalitions wrong and extracurricular Kashmir.”
At a clip erstwhile astir separatist leaders rejected talks with the Indian authorities arsenic betrayal, Farooq broke ranks. In 2004, helium led a Hurriyat delegation to conscionable Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee successful Delhi, calling it “a measurement guardant that could unfastened doors to understanding.” He aboriginal held respective rounds of talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vajpayee’s successor, raising issues similar unit withdrawal, demilitarisation of civilian zones and Kashmir’s autonomy.
“We are not against India,” helium said aft 1 specified meeting. “We are for Kashmiris. Dialogue is the lone mode retired of this decades-long tragedy.”
Geelani explained that this approach, portion distinctive, came with its ain governmental risks: Different sections of the ideological spectrum successful Kashmir viewed Farooq with “admiration, caution and suspicion”, helium said.
The overtures to the Indian authorities – bold astatine the clip – outgo Farooq enactment among hardliner separatists but besides positioned him arsenic a uncommon fig consenting to negociate without abandoning the request for self-determination. His governmental gamble was seen by galore arsenic an effort to humanise Kashmir’s conflict and propulsion for a peaceful resolution, portion retaining the motivation authorization of the pulpit.
At the bosom of the mirwaiz’s quality to play that relation was his power – a stature of a benignant that nary different pro-independence leaders successful Kashmir could boast of. And that power was centred astatine Srinagar’s Jamia Masjid.
Before 2019, erstwhile Kashmir inactive held its peculiar status, Fridays astatine the mosque were charged events. Farooq’s sermons, laced with Islamic penetration and governmental longing, moved overflowing congregations.
After August 2019, erstwhile India revoked Kashmir’s peculiar presumption and the mirwaiz was arrested alongside thousands of others, the 600-year-old mosque excessively has occasionally been closed nether information orders. Sermons were replaced by silence.

The instrumentality successful 2023
On a grey September greeting successful Srinagar successful 2023, the aerial hung dense with a premix of apprehension and subdued anticipation astatine Jamia Masjid, arsenic Mirwaiz Umar Farooq returned to the pulpit – gentler now. His shoulders, erstwhile steadfast with certainty, seemed somewhat stooped. His gaze, formerly crisp and searching, present lingered, softer, much introspective. The occurrence was gone.
Tight information manned each alley; worshippers queued successful agelong lines, galore weeping silently arsenic they glimpsed the mirwaiz measurement forward.
“This is the clip for patience,” helium said, pausing often, his code deliberate. Gone were the calls for a plebiscite for Kashmiris to determine connected their future, for absorption to what helium erstwhile called “Indian occupation”.
Instead, determination was a softened plea – for dialogue, not betwixt nations, but with Kashmiris.
Once, helium thundered, “Nobody tin soundlessness us.” That time connected his instrumentality to the mosque successful September 2023, helium said: “Perhaps nary 1 is acceptable to perceive to us.”
Fast guardant 2 years, and past month, arsenic tensions peaked betwixt India and Pakistan pursuing India’s retaliation implicit the Pahalgam attack, helium spoke to mourn the war’s youngest victims, Zain and Urwa. The duplicate children had been killed successful Pakistani shelling. The mirwaiz said that their “smiling representation volition haunt us”.
“Kashmir is simply a bleeding wound,” helium said. “A flashpoint that tin detonate anytime.” His audience, which would erstwhile erupt into chants, listened silently.
In January, Farooq travelled to New Delhi to be a gathering of a parliamentary sheet connected amendments to a instrumentality that governs Muslim endowments – known arsenic waqf – crossed India and Indian-administered Kashmir. It was his archetypal ceremonial engagement with the Indian authorities since 2019, prompting speculation astir – arsenic yet unconfirmed – renewed connection betwixt the mirwaiz and Delhi.
A abstracted gathering with a subordinate of parliament from the National Conference, a mainstream Kashmiri enactment that swears by the Indian Constitution and won past year’s authorities legislature election, further fuelled chatter that the mirwaiz mightiness beryllium exploring a governmental compromise with New Delhi.
Al Jazeera reached retired to the mirwaiz for an interview, but has not received immoderate response.
Analysts suggest that Farooq’s caller nationalist engagements – including appearances astatine interfaith and nationalist events successful Delhi – bespeak a cautious recalibration alternatively than a wide ideological shift. The mirwaiz present appears to beryllium navigating a drastically altered governmental terrain, wherever symbolism and strategical networking – peculiarly with Indian Muslims facing their ain constraints nether the regularisation of Modi’s Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party – whitethorn beryllium the lone forms of relevance inactive available.
“This is not truthful overmuch a displacement successful ideology arsenic it is simply a effect to shrinking space,” said Anuradha Bhasin, elder writer and governmental analyst. “He has ever been a symbolic figure, straddling the spiritual and the political. In this charged governmental climate, not conscionable separatists but adjacent mainstream governmental actors person been near with precise small country for articulation.
“What we’re seeing present is endurance wrong that constrictive space. He has been mostly nether location apprehension for the past six years, and the Hurriyat has wholly disappeared – truthful he’s isolated.”
Still, questions astir the mirwaiz and his cautious sermons are dividing young Kashmiris.

Silence oregon strategy?
Conversations with young Kashmiris, from assemblage campuses to downtown Srinagar cafes, uncover a quiescent disillusionment with the mirwaiz among some. “He’s much a preacher present than a leader,” said Aqib Nazir, a journalism student, astir a antheral erstwhile seen arsenic among Kashmir’s astir salient governmental voices.
His moderation, erstwhile seen arsenic a strength, is progressively interpreted arsenic powerlessness by this acceptable of Kashmiris – arsenic quiescent capitulation.
But for others, the Mirwaiz inactive holds symbolic significance. They construe his much restrained sermons arsenic a motion of maturity and pragmatism – a conscious effort to support the mosque’s relation arsenic a captious abstraction for spiritual continuity and communal gathering.
In a discourse wherever nationalist beingness is intimately monitored and expressions of dissent are often scrutinised, immoderate judge this attack helps support a abstraction for spiritual beingness without drafting undue attraction oregon risking further restrictions.
“He’s the past motivation dependable we’ve got,” said Asif, a Srinagar nonmigratory who’s listened to the Mirwaiz for much than 10 years.
“His restraint isn’t weakness – it’s survival.”