SRINAGAR: Former J&K Chief Minister and PDP Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday condemned what it called “mosque profiling” by police, saying it amounted to interference in religious affairs and was an attempt to humiliate Kashmiri Muslims. It is Hindu temples that need to be “profiled,” she said.“If religious places are to be profiled, then start with temples. Identify who the priest is, whether he is a Dalit or a Brahmin and how much money is charged for temple entry. None of this happens in our mosques,” Mehbooba said.Showing a four-page police form, she said information about properties and management of mosques was already with the administration, but police were now looking for photos, Aadhaar numbers and other personal details of imams, mosque management members and worshipers. “This kind of intense profiling is intended to dissuade Kashmiri Muslims from their religion,” the PDP chief said. “How much more do you humiliate Kashmiri Muslims?”She also criticized CM Omar Abdullah for not commenting on this topic. “Even though the police are not under him, he still has a voice and a tongue,” she said.Mehbooba claimed that “mosques are being treated like crime scenes” and said: “Are you going to do this to temples, gurdwaras or churches? This is not happening anywhere else in the country.”She accused the government of targeting Muslim institutions and warned that the profiling of mosques could be expanded across the country. “What does the government have to do with whether someone is Shia, Sunni or Barelvi? Mosques are open to all, unlike many temples where Dalits and women are not allowed,” she said.
