By The South Asia Times

SRINAGAR - Indian authorities have launched the profiling of mosques and mosque management committees in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), collecting personal details, photographs, and sectarian affiliations of religious functionaries.

The move has sparked fears among Kashmiris that their sacred spaces are being transformed into sites of surveillance and intimidation, drawing condemnation from political, religious, and human rights bodies.

Reports indicate that many individuals connected to mosques received a four-page form circulated across different areas of Kashmir.

One page requests information about the mosque itself, while the remaining three pages collect personal details about individuals associated with the mosque’s management and religious activities.

Officials describe the profiling as a security-driven measure, but local political parties, religious organizations, and human rights advocates argue that it infringes upon constitutional and fundamental rights, amounting to communal profiling.

Observers have also noted that India’s action reflects the growing influence of Hindutva ideology, raising concerns about the erosion of Kashmir’s religious and cultural autonomy.

“This is part of a broader trend of surveillance and coercion against Muslims in Kashmir,” said Khaled Beydoun, a legal scholar and commentator.

“Today, India even shut down a medical school because the majority of admitted students were Muslims. The limits of Indian Islamophobia appear endless.”

Police and local authorities are reportedly collecting identity numbers, family details, and other personal information of imams and members of mosque committees. Residents fear the profiling could extend to religious seminaries and other Muslim institutions, turning one of the last sacred spaces in the region into a tool for state surveillance.

This move follows earlier controversial actions by India in Kashmir, including the revocation of the region’s special status in 2019 and the subsequent granting of domicile rights to non-Kashmiri Indians.

Critics say these measures aim to alter the demographic composition of the territory and have compounded grievances among local residents. Kashmiri citizens also complain of systematic destruction of livelihoods, including fruit tree gardens and agricultural lands, further exacerbating tensions.

 Human rights experts warn that such profiling could violate fundamental freedoms, inflame communal tensions, and undermine prospects for peace in the disputed region.