Zakir Naik to meet Dr M, promises to expose ‘media falsehood’

The embattled preacher says the Indian media are involved in a two-year campaign to vilify him.

Zakir Naik, seen here during a chance meeting with Dr Mahathir Mohamad at a mosque in Putrajaya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Zakir Naik is due to meet Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a day after the prime minister gave the clearest indication yet that his government would not deport the Indian Muslim preacher back to his country, said a source.

“It will be the first meeting with Dr Mahathir since the new government took over in May,” the highly reliable source told FMT.

It comes as Naik accused the media in India of carrying out a campaign of vilification over the last two years, adding that he was convinced that the “fake news” about his deportation would be exposed.

“Since the latest fake news has been exposed, insha Allah… very soon, most of the articles published against me will be proved as having no basis and that they were false,” he said in a new video message through his Facebook.

There was intense media speculation that Naik, who is wanted by Indian authorities over allegations of money laundering and terrorism, would be extradited to India.

But yesterday, Mahathir said that the government would not deport Naik as he has been granted a Malaysian permanent residency status.

Hours after Mahathir’s statement, Naik in his video message said: “Now it has been proven without any doubt that it was a fake news.”

On Wednesday, the Indian foreign ministry reportedly confirmed making an official request to Malaysia to extradite Naik.

Naik is accused of giving provocative speeches, which were cited as a reason by Bangladesh for an attack in Dhaka in 2016 which left 22 people dead. India’s National Investigation Agency is also investigating Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation, over allegations of money laundering.

Naik has denied the charges, saying he was a victim of Indian media who are sensationalising the issue in their quest to get more audience.

The 52-year-old televangelist said the claims that he would be deported early this week were also part of a campaign by the media to vilify him.

“This is the same thing that Indian media have been doing against me for the last two years. It has been exactly two years since they started hounding me,” he said. -FMT