Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in his Friday (May 8, 2026) sermon, expressed concern over the closure of a seminary-cum-school in south Kashmir’s Shopian and said it has ruined the future of hundreds of students.

“The banning of the Jamia Siraj Ul Uloom school under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) is a serious matter. It has stoked apprehension among people that our religious identity is being targeted,” said the Mirwaiz.

He said the move by the authorities has “ruined the future of hundreds of students studying there”.

“Protests by students and parents on Thursday showed the urgency and deep distress it is causing to them,” said the Mirwaiz.

He said the undercurrent of resentment against these policies can consolidate, “if the state does not revisit this approach and allow the reopening of this institution”.

The Mirwaiz urged the government to reconsider this approach and “earn people’s trust and goodwill rather than alienate them”.

Referring to the drug menace, the Mirwaiz said the government’s drive against drug peddlers and narcotics networks in Jammu and Kashmir is a welcome initiative and every sincere effort aimed at protecting the younger generation from the menace of addiction.

“One cannot ignore the fact that a generation raised among political conflict, uncertainty, stress and limited economic avenues is highly prone to substance abuse. This crisis cannot be seen only through the law and order prism and headline grabbing of arrests and property confiscation,” he added.

He said many youths were struggling with anxiety, hopelessness, and psychological distress as a fallout of political uncertainty and anxiety about their future. “Therefore, while strict action against drug traffickers and dismantling of their networks is necessary, policing alone cannot solve this health emergency, nor heal a wounded society,” he added.