The police have agreed to allow a lecture by controversial Muslim scholar Zakir Naik to proceed in Kuala Lumpur on April 16, but subject to certain conditions.
However, inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said he would not reconsider the decision to ban a lecture slated in Malacca the following day, titled "Similarities between Islam and Hinduism".
The event in Kuala Lumpur is titled 'Is the Quran God's Word'.
Khalid told Malaysiakini that the organisers must ensure the lecture is confined to matters related to Islam and no other faith is belittled in the process.
"We will brief the organisers on this. They must guarantee the lecture does not trample on the sensitivities of non-Muslims.
"If Zakir wants to speak about the glories of Islam, he is more than welcome to do so, but the speaker and others must not use the event as a platform to disparage other faiths.
"Should this happen, then we would not hesitate to take action against the organisers. They must respect the fact that our nation comprises people of different faiths," Khalid said.
Ban ignited heated debate
The lecture series is organised by Hidayah Centre and 10 other NGOs.
Khalid's move to ban the Malacca event ignited a heated debate and drew mixed responses, with those opposed to the scholar expressing gratitude while numerous Muslim groups expressed disappointment.
MIC as well as NGOs had protested Zakir's lecture series in Malaysia, claiming that the Indian national had a tendency to insult other religions.
However, Umno Youth was among those who disagreed with the ban.
The issue also saw a split among Pakatan Harapan parties, with DAP leader P Ramasamy accusing Zakir of sowing hatred towards non-Muslims while Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) decried the move to clamp down on intellectual discourse. -Mkini
Thk for update
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