The Shiv Sena on Wednesday demanded that controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik be banned from indulging in preaching and that all his activities be investigated in the wake of reports that two of the seven terrorists responsible for the recent Dhaka attack were “inspired” by him.
In a letter written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, senior Sena functionary and party MP from south Mumbai Arvind Sawant asked to impose a ban on the activities of Zakir Naik and his affiliated organisations and prevent his movement across the country.
Alluding to news reports that two of the seven terrorists who hacked to death 20 people at a Dhaka cafe last week were “inspired” by Naik, Sawant said, “This is not the first incident that terrorists have named Zakir Naik for such inspiration. The boys who joined ISIS from India have also made the same statement as that of terrorists behind the Dhaka attack”.
Naik, in his lecture aired on Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, had reportedly “urged all Muslims to be terrorists”. Two attackers Rohan Imtiaz and Nibras Islam were purportedly “inspired” by Naik.
Nayak, who is the founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation, has been banned in the UK and Canada for his hate speech aimed against other religions.
Apart from demanding steps to prevent Naik’s movements across the country, Sawant urged the Union Home Minister to order investigations into all the activities of the controversial preacher, the sources of funding for his organisation and the manner in which he utilised the funds. “In addition to ban on him (Naik) in India, we have to further ban his private channels through he will continue to spread his inhuman and revengeful speeches…,” Sawant stated in his letter to Singh.
Sawant clarified, “When I wrote to the Union Home Minister seeking a ban on Zakir Naik, I did not mean that he be banned individually. What I mean is all his activities be banned and he be investigated thoroughly”.
Source : Daily Pioneer
