Let Zakir Naik stay, says group of Muslim NGOs

According to Ikram, barring the Muslim preacher from Malaysia is against basic human rights and the principle of freedom of speech and religion.

PETALING JAYA: Pertubuhan Ikram Malaysia (Ikram) has welcomed the prospect of controversial preacher Zakir Naik living in Malaysia if he is not allowed to return to his home country of India.

“Malaysia must continue being big-hearted and providing protection to those of various races and religious backgrounds,” said the Islamic NGO’s president Mohd Parid Sheikh Ahmad in a statement today.

He was responding to calls by some quarters urging the government to bar Zakir from entering the country or remaining here if he was already in the country.

Critics, including Hindraf, have accused Zakir of disrupting the country’s racial harmony through his preachings that they claimed insulted other races.

Zakir, who heads the Islamic Research Institute in Mumbai, is reportedly barred from the United Kingdom and Canada for his alleged support of terrorist group, al-Qaeda.

India’s Enforcement Directorate was also reported to have issued a fresh summons to Zakir in connection with its money laundering probe against him.

Times of India quoted officials as saying the agency had issued the fourth summons to Zakir, via his lawyer and through email, to cooperate in the probe after it rejected his plea to depose before investigators via an Internet-based video link from abroad.

On Wednesday, 19 people, including Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy and lawyer Siti Kasim, filed a suit against the government for allegedly harbouring Zakir.

But according to Parid, barring Zakir from entering Malaysia was against basic human rights and the principle of freedom of speech and religion.

He also said such action could give rise to feelings of unease and misunderstanding, especially among Muslims.

“Ikram urges all parties to work towards maintaining racial and religious harmony, and to respect one another.

“Any misunderstanding should be resolved through dialogue and discussions. Ikram is ready to have a dialogue with all parties to resolve this matter.” -FMT