Mirwaiz Mohammad Umar Farooq (born 23 March 1973) is the Mirwaiz of Kashmir. He is an Islamist, separatist political leader of Kashmir. He is also an Islamic religious cleric of Kashmir Valley. In October 2014, Farooq was listed as one of The 500 Most Influential Muslims by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan. As the Mirwaiz of Kashmir and chairman of the Hurriyat Conference, Umar Farooq has an important religious and political role in the Kashmir Valley. He is seen as the spiritual leader of Kashmir's Muslims. Farooq served as the chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference from 1993 to 1998, and after its split has served as the chairman of his own faction since 2004. From Wikipedia
