Srinagar, June 8, KNT: The Muttahida Majlise-e-Ulama (MMU) – an amalgamation of scores of religious and educational bodies from Kashmir Valley led by Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq, has expressed serious concern over a viral video on social media sent to them also, in which a group of outsiders is openly drinking alcohol on a shikhara in the Dal lake. MMU strongly condemned this act and the fact that it has been allowed to take place in Kashmir.
While public consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited under the law, why and how it has been allowed is a matter of worry, the MMU said.
In a statement issued here, the Majlis-e-Ulama said, “The people of Kashmir are hospitable and respect tourists visiting the valley as guests. However, such un-Islamic and unethical practices will not be tolerated in the Muslim-majority valley which is the land of saints and Sufis.
Consumption of alcohol is strictly prohibited in Islam for its disastrous ill effects and deprivation of society cannot be allowed to go unchecked.
MMU as per the statement has appealed to hotel owners, houseboat owners, and Shikara operators to keep an eye on such wrongdoings and stay away from indulging in this un-Islamic and immoral practice for profit. It also appealed to the tourists to respect the moral and religious ethos of Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the Council reiterated its demand for the immediate arrest and appropriate punishment of the student involved in the blasphemy against the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) at GMC Srinagar, despite the police having registered an FIR. [KNT]
