Perkasa Islamic affairs bureau chairman Dr Amini Amir Abdullah claimed
that Dr Zakir was a “moderate” and demanded that a local interfaith
group retract its “rude” allegations against him.
“Perkasa feels that Dr Zakir Naik should be given a chance to explain and he should not be placed in the dock of the guilty.
“Dr Zakir Naik is a highly reputable preacher and is of the moderate school. Muslims should defend him. He has also helped the authorities understand the true Islam here and internationally,” he said in a statement that was released today.
In defending Dr Zakir, he went on to suggest that there may be attempts to tar Dr Zakir’s name.
“Dr Zakir Naik has given speeches to millions of people and have these millions turned into terrorists? If someone claims to use Dr Zakir’s name, should Dr Zakir be punished immediately? Maybe there are individuals in Bangladesh who intentionally use Dr Zakir’s name…Is it not possible this individual has been hired?
Amini Amir warned the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) against purportedly making allegations without proof and urged the local interfaith group to be more cautious in making statements.
“Be careful in making statements that touch on the sensitivities of Muslims. Don’t follow the call and baseless news of the West,” he said.
Yesterday, Malay Mail Online reported MCCBCHST deputy president RS Mohan Shan saying that Dr Zakir has been advocating terrorism to youths, citing reports claiming that one of the militants behind the Dhaka killings had followed the Mumbai-based preacher on social media.
India and Bangladesh have reportedly launched investigations on Dr Zakir over claims that he had inspired the Dhaka attack where 22 people ― including the attackers ― were killed, while Malaysia’s police chief yesterday said he will review Dr Zakir’s speeches in India and Bangladesh to see if they contain elements promoting terrorism before considering the action to be taken.
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.
from Malay Mail Online | Malaysia http://ift.tt/29rNcx0
via IFTTT
KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 ―
“Perkasa feels that Dr Zakir Naik should be given a chance to explain and he should not be placed in the dock of the guilty.
“Dr Zakir Naik is a highly reputable preacher and is of the moderate school. Muslims should defend him. He has also helped the authorities understand the true Islam here and internationally,” he said in a statement that was released today.
In defending Dr Zakir, he went on to suggest that there may be attempts to tar Dr Zakir’s name.
“Dr Zakir Naik has given speeches to millions of people and have these millions turned into terrorists? If someone claims to use Dr Zakir’s name, should Dr Zakir be punished immediately? Maybe there are individuals in Bangladesh who intentionally use Dr Zakir’s name…Is it not possible this individual has been hired?
Amini Amir warned the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) against purportedly making allegations without proof and urged the local interfaith group to be more cautious in making statements.
“Be careful in making statements that touch on the sensitivities of Muslims. Don’t follow the call and baseless news of the West,” he said.
Yesterday, Malay Mail Online reported MCCBCHST deputy president RS Mohan Shan saying that Dr Zakir has been advocating terrorism to youths, citing reports claiming that one of the militants behind the Dhaka killings had followed the Mumbai-based preacher on social media.
India and Bangladesh have reportedly launched investigations on Dr Zakir over claims that he had inspired the Dhaka attack where 22 people ― including the attackers ― were killed, while Malaysia’s police chief yesterday said he will review Dr Zakir’s speeches in India and Bangladesh to see if they contain elements promoting terrorism before considering the action to be taken.
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.
from Malay Mail Online | Malaysia http://ift.tt/29rNcx0
via IFTTT
Perkasa: Zakir Naik ‘highly reputable’, should be defended by Muslims
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