Has Dr Zakir been given Malaysian PR ? say yes or no, Hindraf tells Zahid

Kuala Lumpur : Hindraf Chairman P. Waytha Moorthy has demanded that Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi should come clean if the government has indeed given controversial Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik permanent residency status in Malaysia.

“We insist on the Home Minister confirming if Zakir Naik was given permanent resident status or not.

“Deputy Home Minister (Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed) came out with a statement denying to the Indian government that Malaysia has not given Zakir Naik citizenship.

“That is not the questions we asked, what we want to know if he has been given permanent resident status,” Waytha told The Malaysian Times (TMT) today.

Waytha added that based on the Indian media reports, they have found Zakir Naik to be a “threat” to the national security.

“If the Indians themselves feeling this about their own Indian citizen, why is Malaysia so adamant to protect him when he is a clear threat to Malaysian national security?” Waytha asked.

Wayta was referring to a report by Hindustan Times in India, which reported that Zakir had been allegedly given Malaysian citizenship and was hiding in the country after Indian authorities banned his Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

The report also claimed that Zakir Naik now holds dual Indian-Malaysian citizenship, where a representative of the latter allegedly had said that the Malaysian citizenship was offered as a package deal to the Muslim preacher when he was awarded the Tokoh Maal Hijrah award back in 2013.

In April this year, the state of Terengganu offered Dr Zakir, whom is banned in several other countries, three islands for the preacher to open a branch for IRF and a religious school as well.

According to the Gazette of India, an authorized legal document of Government of India, the Islamic Research Foundation’s (IRF) members, particularly, its founder and president Dr Zakir Naik, have been encouraging and aiding its followers to promote or attempt to promote, on grounds of religion, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious communities and groups.

The document reads: “AND WHEREAS, such divisive ideology is against India’s pluralistic and secular social fabric and it may be viewed as causing disaffection against India and thereby making it an unlawful activity;

“AND WHEREAS, statements of some terrorists arrested in the terrorist attack incidents or arrested ISIS sympathisers revealed that they were inspired by the fundamentalist statements of Dr Zakir Naik, clearly indicating thesubversive nature of his preachings and speeches;

“AND WHEREAS, the Central Government is of the opinion that the aforesaid activities of the IRF and its President Dr Zakir Naik are highly inflammatory in nature and prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between various religious groups and communities and if urgent steps are not taken there is every possibility of many youth being motivated and radicalized to commit terrorist acts leading to promoting enmity between different religious groups;

“AND WHEREAS, the Central Government, having regard to the above circumstances, is of the firm opinion that it is necessary to declare the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) as an unlawful association with immediate effect.

“NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the Central Government hereby declares the Islamic Research Foundation to be an unlawful association;

“AND WHEREAS, the Central Government, having regard to the above circumstances, is of the opinion that it is necessary to declare the Islamic Research Foundation as an unlawful association with immediate effect; and accordingly, in exercise of the powers conferred by the proviso to sub-section (3) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Central Government hereby directs that this notification shall, subject to any order that may be made under section 4 of the said Act, have effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette,” read the Gazette.

Source : Malaysian Times