Delivering his Friday sermon at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Molvi Muhammad Umar Farooq expressed deep shock and anguish over the recent revelations that over 3,500 kilograms of rotten, unlabelled, and possibly unlawful meat was seized by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) from various locations in Kashmir.
Mirwaiz said that feeding people haram or harmful food is zulm—a grave injustice. Such actions are a betrayal of public trust and a violation of both divine commandments, societal contract, and law. Those involved must be held fully accountable and strictly penalised and punished as per law without delay.
“This incident has deeply shaken the trust of people. It is shocking that such large-scale malpractice was allowed to go on and unchecked for so long, raising serious questions about the role of regulatory authorities. Where was the administration all this time? How could this go unnoticed? We do not know for how long this has been going on, but its scale and extent suggest a deep and disturbing failure of oversight,” Mirwaiz said.
He added that the government must act with urgency and firmness and that no packed meat should be allowed in the markets without clear and mandatory labelling, verified cold storage details, and halal certification.
Mirwaiz said that there are growing concerns within the community about the actual nature of the seized meat—with doubts being raised whether it was even from permissible animals or worse, carrion (maytah), which is strictly prohibited in Islam.
“These are not merely health violations; they are violations of our religious boundaries and our shared values as a society,” he added.
“While we ask for accountability from authorities, this crime is a wake-up call for us as individuals and society too. It has brought forth the moral and ethical decay in our society, where greed and profiteering have become the sole driving force, even by stooping to such levels. And this should be a matter of concern for all of us as a society and as our claim to being Muslims.
Commending the role of vigilant citizens who helped expose the scandal, Mirwaiz thanked them for their courage in exposing this crime.
