Dr. Abdul Hameed Fayyaz

Hameed Fayyaz is a Muslim cleric arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA).

Background

Abdul Hameed Fayyaz was born in Nadigam village, near Shopian, in 1956. He is a Muslim preacher and the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami in Kashmir. The cleric has been associated with Jamaat since 1976 and has been a full-time worker for the organization since 1985. The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned Jammat-e-Islami in 2019, citing unlawful activities and secessionist movements.

 

Dr Fayyaz is a prominent figure in Jamaat known for his oratory skills and for imparting religious education and knowledge across the valley. Abdul Fayyaz earned a PhD on Allama Iqbal, a South Asian Muslim writer, philosopher, and politician, whose poetry in the Urdu language is considered among the greatest of the twentieth century. Dr Fayyaz has a significant grip on Urdu and Persian poetry. He is also vocal about the Kashmir conflict and human rights abuses by the Indian security forces.

 

In September 2022, he was arrested from his residence in Hyderpora, Srinagar, under the PSA, a draconian law that authorities have used to imprison dissenters without a trial for up to two years. Human rights advocacy groups have condemned the arrest calling it a blatant attempt to deepen the uncertainty in the valley.

Charges and Allegations

 Public Safety Act

Current Status

Not released yet

More Prisoners

Abdur Rehman

Background Abdur Rehman is a Muslim Human Rights defender, Student Activist, and the President of Shibli National College Students’ Union, Azamgarh. He is vocal on...

Vijith Vijayan

Background 26-year-old Vijith Vijayan hails from Wayanad district of Kerala. He is a B.Tech graduate who had been working in a tuition centre at Cherukulathoor,...

Kumtu Vasunyia

Background Kumtu Vasunyia is wife of Christian Pastor Ramesh Vasunyia who managed a prayer hall in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. Kumtu, along with three...

Ramesh Vasunyia

Background Ramesh Vasunyia is a Christian pastor in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh. He along with his wife and son managed the Christian prayer hall...