By Muhammad Arbaaz Niazi

A Friday sermon in Kashmir begins with a common and characteristic gathering. 

Shopkeepers leave their counters, workers set aside their tasks, and families make their way to mosques. 

For a short time, people with different worries sit together and listen to the same voice. 

The Imam speaks about faith, family, personal conduct and the obligations people owe one another. Sometimes his words comfort, but at times they challenge habits that have taken root in the community.

The value of that moment depends partly on a simple condition: the Imam must be free to judge what his congregation needs to hear.

That is why the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board’s proposal to identify common themes for Friday sermons needs careful review. 

The stated aim of encouraging religious scholars to address drug addiction, suicide and problems confronting young people is reasonable. The difficulty lies in deciding where guidance ends and institutional control begins.

Kashmir has serious social problems that need attention from its religious institutions. Drug addiction is damaging families, while young people face unemployment, uncertainty and emotional distress. Domestic violence, corruption, extravagant spending and weakening family relationships also call for honest discussion. Religious leaders, whose words hold impact in many households, can help people confront these concerns.

An Imam who speaks about addiction may encourage a family to seek help for a son. A sermon about parental responsibility may lead someone to reconsider how children are treated at home. A discussion of honesty may challenge the everyday practices through which people justify cheating others.

Religious guidance has a place in these efforts. The question is who decides how that guidance should be delivered.

There is a difference between recommending a subject and prescribing a sermon. 

A recommendation gives an Imam room to use his knowledge, understand his congregation and decide how to approach a problem. A prescribed agenda can reduce that judgement to........

© Kashmir Observer