Anger against Zakir Naik spills on to social media

MUMBAI: The revelation that Zakir Naik was idolised by two of the terrorists who carried out the Dhaka massacre has led to an uproar against the Islamic preacher in both India and Bangladesh, where Naik has a large following.

Naik, known for his lectures on Peace TV, was panned for engaging in hate speech and inciting communal hatred after clips emerged of controversial remarks in his sermons and his condoning of terrorism. Many took to social media to vent their anger. “He may live in India, but this is the man & ideology #ZakirNaik serves. Bharat’s termite, destroying its foundations,” tweeted Tarek Fatah, a Pakistani-Canadian author, with a picture of Naik receiving the 2015 King Faisal International Prize for service to Islam from Saudi king Salman bin Abdul Aziz in Riyadh.

Interestingly, sections of the clergy are of the view that Naik, who’s an MBBS doctor, is a self-taught and self-professed scholar of Islam with no training at any seminary of repute. As a result, there are questions and concerns about his interpretations of the Quran.

Bangladesh’s I&B minister Hassanul Hak Inu told a TV channel that many clerics have complained to his ministry that Naik’s interpretation of Islam is not in line with the Quranic version. Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen told TOI that Naik’s sermons have troubled her in the past. However, with followers running into millions, the president of the Islamic Research Foundation does not look short on support.