In Kashmir, closed mosque belies India’s religious freedom

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN
Associated Press

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — The largest mosque in the disputed region of Kashmir dominates its neighborhood with an imposing main gate and massive turrets. It can hold 33,000 worshippers. But Indian authorities see the mosque as a trouble spot — a nerve center for protests and clashes that challenge India’s sovereignty over the region. For Muslims it is a sacred venue for Friday prayers and a place they can raise their voices for political rights. In this bitter dispute, the mosque in Srinagar has largely remained closed for the past two years. The mosque’s chief priest has been detained inside his home almost nonstop throughout that time. And the mosque’s main gate is padlocked and blocked with corrugated tin sheets on Fridays.