Mirwaiz Omar Farooq
Encyclopedia
Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq is a Kashmiri religious and political leader who is the chairman of the Awami Action Committee and the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a grassroots coalition of pro-freedom parties in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n administered Jammu & Kashmir.

As the Mirwaiz
Mirwaiz
The Mirwaiz is the title given to the spiritual leaders of the 5.3 million Muslims of the Kashmir Valley. There are two main Mirwaiz lineages in the Valley. The better known lineage is based in Srinagar, with its seat at the historic Jama Masjid, Srinagar. The other lineage heads the Muslims of...

 (Mir-Head; Waiz-Priest) of Kashmir and chairman of the Hurriyat Conference has both an important religious and political role in the Kashmir Valley.

Placed on the stage at the age of 17, following the assassination of his father, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq
Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq
Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq was the Mirwaiz of his time in Kashmir and chairman of the Awami Action Committee , a coalition of disparate political parties in Jammu and Kashmir that wish independence under Islamic Conditions for the state of Jammu and Kashmir....

, the then leader of Awami Action Committee, Umar Farooq united 23 Kashmiri separatist organizations into the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). He has constantly tried to raise much awareness about the Kashmir issue internationally. He was also shown among the Asian Heroes by the Times magazine. He maintains that dialogue must take place with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, so long as the Kashmiri aspirations are heard as well.

He inherited as the 14th Mirwaiz
Mirwaiz
The Mirwaiz is the title given to the spiritual leaders of the 5.3 million Muslims of the Kashmir Valley. There are two main Mirwaiz lineages in the Valley. The better known lineage is based in Srinagar, with its seat at the historic Jama Masjid, Srinagar. The other lineage heads the Muslims of...

 (Kashmiri term for traditional preacher of Muslims in Kashmir) in 1990. Before joining the pro-freedom Kashmir politics, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was an alumnus of the prestigious Burn Hall School
Burn Hall School
Burn Hall School is a missionary school for boys situated in Srinagar, India, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. The school was established by the Mill Hill fathers/missionaries of Ireland....

 in Srinagar, he had interests in computers and he wanted to become a software engineer
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...

. But fate had something else in store for this man, who became the founder-chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference at the age of 20. He also holds a PhD. in Islamic Studies
Islamic studies
In a Muslim context, Islamic studies can be an umbrella term for all virtually all of academia, both originally researched and as defined by the Islamization of knowledge...

 from Kashmir University.

Referring to the Kashmiri Pandits, he said “We invite them to join the ongoing freedom struggle as our struggle is not area specific. We are seeking freedom for all parts of Jammu and Kashmir and its people irrespective of their religion, creed and caste.”. Furthermore believe that' Pandits will return to the Valley with a deeper sense of security and dignity... And that, unmistakably, requires a favourable environment'. In conclusion Kashmir Pundits should return to kashmir valley.

See also

  • Mirwaiz
    Mirwaiz
    The Mirwaiz is the title given to the spiritual leaders of the 5.3 million Muslims of the Kashmir Valley. There are two main Mirwaiz lineages in the Valley. The better known lineage is based in Srinagar, with its seat at the historic Jama Masjid, Srinagar. The other lineage heads the Muslims of...

  • All Parties Hurriyat Conference
    All Parties Hurriyat Conference
    The All Parties Hurriyat Conference is a political front formed as an alliance of 26 political, social and religious organizations in Kashmir. It was formed achieving the right of self-determination according to United Nations Security Council Resolution 47...

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