Kashmiri language Friday sermons launched by clerics to fight cultural decline

Clerics across Kashmir will deliver their Friday sermons entirely in the Kashmiri language on 16 October, launching a coordinated campaign to protect the local tongue from falling into disuse.

The initiative, announced by Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, is a rare move by the region's religious leadership to actively use the mosque pulpit for cultural and linguistic preservation. Traditionally, formal sermons in the valley’s mosques and imambargahs are delivered in Urdu or Arabic—languages of high literature and theology—which has left the native Kashmiri language increasingly sidelined in public and formal life.

The Mirwaiz shared the plan during a congregation on Friday, 9 October, marking the urs, or annual anniversary, of Hazrat Sheikh Noor-ud-Din Noorani. The 14th-century saint from Budgam is highly revered across the region for translating complex spiritual concepts of faith and monotheism into the local vernacular. His poetic verses, known locally as shruks, are credited with both preserving and enriching the Kashmiri language during a critical formative era.

Using the saint as a historical precedent, the Mirwaiz argued that the local language is inseparable from Kashmiri identity. "To preserve Kashmiri is to preserve our identity, memory and civilisational heritage," he said, adding that younger generations must be encouraged to speak, read, and value their mother tongue. He lamented that the language is fading from daily use among the youth, who are increasingly distanced from their linguistic roots.

The coordinated sermon on 16 October will be the first in a series of weekly campaigns. While the initial focus will be on faith delivered in the vernacular, the Mirwaiz said the clergy plans to use subsequent Fridays to tackle deep-seated social issues plaguing the region.

Rather than sticking purely to theological matters, clerics plan to address a list of community challenges, including rising drug abuse, mental health struggles, and suicide rates. Clerics also plan to speak on youth issues, the misuse of social media, family disputes, and environmental protection, alongside calls for broader unity among Muslims in the region. These topics will be introduced one by one on successive weeks.

By coordinating these speeches across different sects and districts, the clergy hopes to turn the Friday congregation back into an active forum for social and cultural reform. Whether the campaign can successfully reverse the decline of Kashmiri among the youth remains to be seen, but the move marks a significant shift in how the region's religious institutions view their role in preserving local heritage.