Perkasa sends counter-letter to UN on Zakir Naik

Perkasa has penned a letter to challenge the one sent by Persatuan Hindraf Malaysia’s (PHM) to the United Nations security council’s counter-terrorism committee (CTC) on Indian preacher Zakir Naik’s permanent residence (PR) in Malaysia.

The movement's president Ibrahim Ali accused PHM of tarnishing Malaysia's image when it wrote to the CTC to advise Malaysia to revoke Zakir’s PR status over purported terrorism-linked concerns.

“When I read the letter, I found many baseless things. So I am replying to that letter not only to defend Zakir but to safeguard the country's dignity.

“Because his (PHM chairperson P Waytha Moorthy's) letter shows it is as though Malaysia is in cahoots in the claims he made, that Malaysia is not responsible and as such Muslims in Malaysia do not care about things related to terrorism," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Waytha Moorthy, in his letter to CTC chair Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta at the UN headquarters in New York, conveyed his NGO's complaints on Zakir's presence and activities in Malaysia.

He said Malaysia is a member of the CTC and should therefore be advised on the “dangers” Zakir is believed to pose.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim said his decision to send a counter-letter did not mean that he was picking a fight with PHM.

“It’s just that since he wrote a letter, I decided to write a letter, too, to defend the truth,” he added.

Apart from the UN, Ibrahim confirmed that copies of the letter have also been sent to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar, High Commissioner of India to Malaysia Shri TS Tirumurti, High Commissioner of Malaysia to India Hidayat Abdul Hamid and Malaysia’s permanent representative to the UN Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob.

Zakir's PR status has riled certain quarters, particularly non-Muslims, who have taken offence with several of the preacher's sermons.

PHM, in particular, was caught in a war of words last week with one of Zakir's many local advocates, Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, after the latter wrote a poem defending the preacher's PR.- Mkini