KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s police chief announced today he will review all of Dr Zakir Naik’s sermons made in India and Bangladesh after the two South Asian countries launched investigations into the controversial Islamist preacher said to have inspired an attack on a Dhaka cafe last week.
“I will comment when I have seen what he actually said in India/Bangladesh,” Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told Malay Mail Online in a text message this evening when contacted.
He indicated that he will then consider the appropriate action to take if he finds that Dr Zakir’s speeches contain elements that could be seen as promoting terrorism.
India’s National Investigation Agency is reportedly preparing to question the Mumbai-based preacher following claims he had inspired five gunmen to attack the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka that killed 22 people, including the attackers.
Bangladeshi Information Minister Hassanul Haq Inu also reportedly said his country’s legal experts were looking into Dr Zakir’s speeches.
Rohan Imtiaz and Nibras Islam were two of the five Dhaka gunmen who were reportedly inspired by Dr Zakir, with Rohan allegedly posting on Facebook a quote he attributed to the preacher that “every Muslim should be a terrorist”.
The head of the Hyderabad chapter of global terror group Islamic State, Mohammad Ibrahim Yazdani, has attributed Dr Zakir’s teachings as the basis for his venture into militancy.
Dr Zakir reputedly has 14 million followers on Facebook and 200 million viewers of his Peace TV channel.
He was welcomed by the Malaysian government in April this year and held a week-long series of sermons and has been praised as a “very wise man”, received tributes from the government including the prestigious “Tokoh Maal Hijrah” award in 2013 and was reportedly gifted three islands in Lake Kenyir from the Terengganu government.
In the wake of the global controversy, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed has now advised Malaysians not to blindly accept the teachings of preachers whom he said may just want popularity.
Source: www.themalaymailonline.com
