UP clerics unite to seek Zakir Naik’s arrest

BAREILLY/MEERUT/LUCKNOW: While the Indian government took serious note of reports that perpetrators of the recent attacks in Bangladesh had perhaps been inspired by controversial Salafist preacher , in an unprecedented solidarity of views, prominent clerics from across Uttar Pradesh urged strong action against Zakir Naik and Peace TV, the channel on which his speeches, often rantings, are broadcast. Clerics of the Barelvi order in Bareilly, during the special speech at Eidgah in the city, called for Naik to be arrested and for a blanket ban on Peace TV. “It has been reported that terrorists who attacked the were inspired by Naik. His speeches support terror and radicalise people. Naik should be arrested and his channel, Peace TV, banned,” said Maulana Shahbudeen Razvi. Maulana Asjad Raza Khan Qadri, Bareilly city qazi, demanded a ban on Naik for his . “Naik’s activities are against Islam and Indian culture. Back in 2008, the state government had banned his programmes in Lucknow, Kanpur and Allahabad,” he said. An English-speaking preacher and televangelist, Naik had also supposedly influenced Islamic State’s Hyderabad module head Mohammad Ibrahim Yazdani. During his recent interrogation by the NIA, Yazdani reportedly admitted to being influenced by Naik.Naik’s speeches have been under the scanner in countries like the UK, Canada and Malaysia, which have banned him.