Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
| Mohammad Umar Farooq | |
|---|---|
| میر واعظ کشمیرڈاکٹر مُحمد عُمر فاروق | |
| Mirwaiz Kashmir | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 23, 1973 Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Children | 3 |
| Occupation | Kashmiri Leader and Religious Cleric |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Mirwaiz Mohammad Umar Farooq (Kashmiri/Urdu, میر واعظ کشمیر مُحمد عُمر فاروق) (born 23 March 1973) is the Mirwaiz of Kashmir and a Kashmiri separatist leader. He is the chairman of the Awami Action Committee, one of the two key factions of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, a "grassroots coalition" of pro-Pakistan and pro-freedom parties in Jammu and Kashmir. His birthday marks Pakistan Day.
In October 2014, Farooq was listed as one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan. The report is issued annually in cooperation with Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in the United States.
As the Mirwaiz of Kashmir and chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Umar Farooq has an important religious as well as political role in the Kashmir Valley. He is seen as the spiritual leader of Kashmir’s Muslims.
At the age of 17, following the assassination of his father by unknown gunmen, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq, the leader of Awami Action Committee, Farooq united 23 Kashmiri pro-Pakistan organizations into the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq's funeral procession on 21 May 1990, saw the most horrific bloodbath near the Animal Husbandry Office opposite to Islamia College, wherein 72 people, including four women were killed; his body being dropped in the middle of the road. This roused public sentiment, and gave leverage to Mirwaiz Umar Farooq's political work in the valley. He has constantly tried to raise 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 and Pakistan, so long as the Kashmiri aspirations are heard as well.
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