A proposal to introduce uniform Friday sermons at mosques across Indian-administered Kashmir has triggered strong opposition from political leaders and Muslim religious organisations, who say the move threatens religious freedom and the autonomy of clerics, Al Jazeera reported.

The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, which oversees Muslim religious endowments in the region, proposed forming a committee of senior Islamic scholars to prepare sermons for delivery at mosques under its administration.

The board is headed by Darakshan Andrabi, a local leader associated with the Hindu majoritarian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government stripped the region of its previous semi-autonomous status in 2019. Jammu and Kashmir was also partitioned into two federally governed territories, instead of functioning as a full-fledged state as it used to.

The proposal drew criticism from religious leaders and politicians, who accused the board of attempting to interfere in religious affairs.

According to Al Jazeera, a scholar from the mountainous Rajouri district, who attended a meeting of religious leaders virtually, said the board’s chairperson, Darakhshan Andrabi, had instructed that only sermons approved by a committee would be delivered at mosque pulpits on Fridays.

“When we objected, saying that we won’t adhere to the directives if the sermon was found to be violative of Islamic teachings, she brushed aside our concerns and didn’t let us speak,” the scholar told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity, citing fears of reprisals.

The scholar also said the participants had not been informed who would serve on the proposed committee.

Andrabi, a local leader associated with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), defended the initiative, saying it was intended to address social problems, including drug abuse. She said religious scholars would determine sermon content, without government officials participating in the process.

The proposal came under fire from Kashmir’s political and religious leadership.

Nayeem Akhtar, a senior politician who served as the region’s education minister under its previous elected government, told Al Jazeera that the Waqf Board was exceeding its administrative responsibilities by attempting to guide clerics on what they should preach.

“Can a Muslim political party in India ever dictate how a Hindu pujari must conduct prayers or how a Christian pastor must deliver a sermon on Sunday?” he asked.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Kashmir’s chief Muslim religious leader, also warned that the proposal would constitute direct interference in religious affairs.

The Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema, a coalition of religious organisations led by Mirwaiz, said determining sermon content was the responsibility of Islamic scholars rather than an administrative body.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also criticised the proposal, accusing the BJP of interfering in Muslim religious affairs.

The controversy comes amid wider concerns over the administration of Muslim religious institutions in the region. According to Al Jazeera, the Waqf Board has previously faced criticism over measures affecting traditional religious practices, while Muslim groups have raised concerns about restrictions on prayer at Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid.

Kashmir’s special autonomous status was revoked by the Indian government in 2019, when the region was divided into two federally administered territories. The change also replaced local legal arrangements governing waqf institutions with those applicable elsewhere in India, Al Jazeera reported.

Following the backlash, Andrabi retreated from the proposal, saying independent scholars, preachers and sermon-givers would be free to address social concerns such as drug abuse, suicide and mental health issues.

Noor Ahmad Baba, a Kashmiri political scientist and historian, told Al Jazeera that the political context surrounding the proposal had fuelled suspicion.

He said religious leaders could address issues such as drug addiction, climate change and social harmony, but the initiative's association with the BJP had made it contentious.

The dispute has renewed debate over the boundary between the administration of religious institutions and the freedom of Muslim clerics to determine what they preach.