SRINAGAR, May 7: As the 100-day anti-drug campaign led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha picks up across Jammu and Kashmir, prayer leaders in parts of the Valley have joined the frontline — the first time imams have taken a lead role against substance abuse.
Under the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, the Jamiat-e-Aimah Masjid Sopore is set to launch an awareness drive, using mosque platforms to reach families directly.
“This is our responsibility. How long will we remain in the background?” Molvi Reyaz Ahmad told Kashmir Convener. “Our generations were already lost to a bloody conflict before this. We cannot afford to lose them again — now to drugs.”
He added, “Raising a voice against drugs is everyone’s duty. We are not here to replace the administration. We are here to support it with moral authority.”
Molvi Ghulam Rasool from Baramulla said the mosque is not just a place for worship but for guiding the community. “For years we only prayed. Now we must also warn. The syringe is as dangerous as the bullet,” he said.
Earleir this month, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Moulvi Umar Farooq said each human life is precious in the eyes of Allah, calling collective action against drugs “an urgent necessity of the time”.
In a significant move, Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam has issued a formal fatwa declaring all income from drug trafficking as haram. The decree bars mosques and shrines from accepting donations from drug dealers. It also prohibits using such funds even for repaying debts or charitable purposes.
“There can be no leniency whatsoever in this matter,” the Grand Mufti said. “I appeal to society to socially boycott drug peddlers, going so far as to refrain from attending their funeral prayers.”
In Pulwama, social worker Malana Showkat Ahmad Dar said the drug menace has reached a critical stage. “I have seen families sell their land, their jewellery, their dignity — all for a single dose. We have taken an oath to speak every Friday until the last addict is saved.”
Social activist and former teacher Bashir Ahmad Lone said the involvement of religious leaders changes the campaign’s dynamics. “Earlier, only police and doctors spoke. That reached the mind. But when an imam speaks, it reaches the heart. The LG’s campaign gave us momentum. The prayer leaders are giving us trust.”
Another activist, Shazia Akhtar from Srinagar, said the move has broken a long-standing taboo. “For years, families hid the addiction out of shame. Now that the imam himself is talking about it openly, that shame is lifting.”
According to official data, over 51 lakh citizens have participated in more than 58,000 awareness programmes across the Valley over the last 25 days. Authorities have activated 1,752 youth clubs, and 928 anti-drug sermons have been delivered in mosques and other religious institutions.
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