Zakir nothing but a storm in a teacup

If we did not create such a fuss about the preacher, very few would even remember his name after a week.

COMMENT

By TK Chua

There is yet another statement expressed by Dr Zakir Naik, this time on how political parties in the country should organise themselves to further the cause of Islam and Muslims. I sincerely hope that Malaysians, particularly non-Malays and non-Muslims, will not react to his latest statement. I think it will not make Malaysia any better.

Prior to this, Hindraf and other NGOs lodged complaints against the preacher. Groups supportive of him reacted, claiming the preacher did not insult non-Muslims in any way. They further claimed he was merely preaching about his own religion, and not belittling the faiths of others.

I did not follow Zakir’s lectures and I am no expert on religion, be it Islam or others. Therefore, I do not know if what was preached by Zakir was radical or otherwise. Similarly, I have no way of knowing if the protests by Hindus and others were justified.

However, this is what I do know – in this country, non-Muslims and non-Malays do not protest how Islam should be preached or decide which Islamic scholar is welcome on our shores.

Far from being docile or spineless, I am merely acknowledging “real politics” for what it is.

It is my opinion that the protests by non-Muslims resulted in Zakir becoming more popular among Muslims and defiant in his sermons. It was the protests by non-Muslims that caused the Muslims, rightly or wrongly, to be more supportive of the preacher. It was the unnecessary attention we gave this preacher (who is banned from entering the UK and Canada) that enabled him to enjoy an audience with our Deputy Prime Minister and a breakfast meeting with our Prime Minister.

No matter how justified the protests by non-Muslims, it was not going to stop Zakir in his tracks because faith is personal, sensitive and political in Malaysia. Followers of any religion can argue till the cows come home and they could all end up equally right or equally wrong.

We should let the authorities hear his sermons and more importantly, let Muslims judge his words for themselves. If evaluations come from within the Muslim community, I am sure it is more palatable and acceptable. After all, we have enough home-grown preachers who are considered controversial. One addition one from India does not make a difference.

In my lifetime, I have come across many preachers and evangelists who are willing to talk till the earth shakes but ultimately they have contributed nothing significant to society or the countries they preached in.

In this Zakir phenomenon, I say we should let the storm pass. If we had not created a fuss, very few would have even remembered his name after a week.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.