Mujahid claims stand on Zakir Naik still the same

Sheridan Mahavera Sheridan Mahavera Updated 5 years ago · Published on 26 Apr 2019 7:00AM · 17 Comments

Minister in charge of Islamic affairs Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa says as a minister he meets many people, including controversial permanent residents. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Kamal Ariffin, April 26, 2019.

DR Mujahid Yusof Rawa still holds on to his stand that Dr Zakir Naik’s teaching is demeaning to other faiths and is not suited for Malaysia.

The minister in charge of Islamic affairs, however, defended his meeting with the controversial Muslim preacher last month, saying as a minister anyone could come and see him.

“As a minister, anyone can come and see me and he came to see me. But our stand is the same. Malaysia is not like other countries. We have sensitivities,” Mujahid told The Malaysian Insight.

The Indian preacher is one of Malaysia’s most controversial “permanent residents” as he is known for stirring hatred against other religions with his lectures and messages.

While Zakir is a wanted man in India, having had his citizenship revoked, he was granted permanent resident by the former Najib Razak government.

When Pakatan Harapan won federal power and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad took over, he said Malaysia would not deport Zakir “as long as he is not creating any problem” in the country.

But Zakir’s name cropped up again, two days after the deadly Sri Lanka bombings at three churches and four hotels which claimed more than 360 lives and injured 500 others.

The mastermind behind a suicide bombing at a hotel was identified as Islamic extremist Moulvi Zahran Hashim, an imam with a history of racism and Islamic supremacy.

Zahran had also posted several YouTube videos and in one of them, the radical Muslim extremist said – “What can Sri Lankan Muslims do for Dr Zakir Naik?” – leading experts to believe that Zahran was inspired by Zakir.

This led to calls in Malaysia for the controversial preacher to be thrown out of the country.

Two days after the Sri Lanka attacks, Malaysian activist Farouk A. Peru started a petition urging Dr Mahathir to act against fundamentalist Muslim preachers and evict Zakir from the country to “stop fundamentalist preachers before it is too late”.

In the petition, Farouk reminded Dr Mahathir of his decision to allow Zakir to remain in Malaysia when the man was wanted by his home country India for allegedly inciting communal disharmony and other unlawful activities. 

In an interview two days ago, Mujahid said his stance towards Zakir was “the same”. Last September, Mujahid described Zakir’s methods as demeaning to other faiths and that such an approach was ill-suited for Malaysia.

But in the March 13 meeting, Mujahid described Dr Zakir’s missionary work “inspiring” in a Facebook post.

After a backlash, Mujahid said he explained to Zakir the government’s approach on managing Islamic affairs and of the country’s communal sensitivities.

Mujahid stressed there was no U-turn on his stance concerning Dr Zakir, admitting feeling baffled over the criticism he received for the meeting.

“When I say something about Zakir, people say that is good, Mujahid. But when Zakir comes to see me that’s suddenly not good.

“What’s the problem? People come and see me people say that’s not good. They say he is not suitable as Malaysia is like this or that. I don’t understand,” the minister added. – April 26, 2019.

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Comments

  • MALAYSIA is so very very Unlucky that it ALLOWS RUBBISH GARBAGE to stay in Malaysia. ZN can go to Saudia Arabia why is he not goin there ???????? If he is a True Muslim he should be Happy to go to his HOLY LAND .

    Posted 5 years ago by Mindy Singh · Reply

  • MALAYSIA IS A GIFT FROM UNIVERSAL CREATOR WHICH CAN TOUCH WORLD HEIGHTS IN ITS OWN UNIQUENESS UNCOMPAREBLE BEAUTIFULL PEOPLE WITH POSITIVE MIND SET. Reject Garbage (ZN).

    Posted 5 years ago by Mindy Singh · Reply

  • PH must rule with reality and not based on sentiments.

    Posted 5 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • The Ministers argument is not convincing. No attempt has been made to verify the claims against Zakir. He should keep his distance until the preacher has been investigated.

    Posted 5 years ago by Malaysia New hope · Reply

  • Do we need people like this Does Malaysia and Malaysian need zakir n? So what he is a Muslim preacher Remember in mind he is a wanted man or are we just waiting for some Fireworks to hit Malaysia and Malaysian. Now U the Ministers and Government take the Responsibility.

    Posted 5 years ago by Danial Abdullah · Reply

  • The minister said he believes Dr Zakir Naiks teaching is demeaning to other faiths and is not suited for Malaysia but he also said he finds Dr Naik's work to be inspiring. Is he saying he is inspired by the demeaning teaching?

    Posted 5 years ago by Léon Moch · Reply

  • Mujahid -- you are a misfit into the Ministry. As a Minister does it mean that you have to meet all kind of people. If the ISIS Terrorist leader Buggerghadi wants to meet you, Do you agree to allow him in to see you ??????? Come tell me now.. ????? Did you bother to meet with the people in Malaysia who are wretched with the dilema of enforced disappearance, the young girls who are molested by some VVIPs, the mat rempit who are anti establishment due to economic woes and neglected attentions, drug addits , rape victims , incest victims , Aids sufferer , enforced child marriage, wife beater hubbies with carnal and annal desire , LGBT , and many many more . All these are prominent in the Muslim Societies. Did you bother to spare your time to meet them and introduce aids and needy program to set them back on the right track or you only interested be in the lime light with Zakir Naik to improve your standing with the Malay race in the country. Bad choice and da symphto of deoxygenated cerebral ?????? PATHETIC AND TALK LIKE A RETARD !!!

    Posted 5 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • He is allowed to stay as long as he don't create any trouble here? How do we know? Is he on 24 hour surveillance? By the time damage is done, it will be too late. Lives might be loss.
    It will be prevention is always better than cure.

    Posted 5 years ago by Richard Foo · Reply

  • A garbage container obviously stores garbage. It seems this is what the minister has in his head. Conflicting himself and unable to see what's coming onto our shores could be dangerous. Why take such risks of pleasing one reject from another country and making millions of Malaysians uneasy.

    Posted 5 years ago by Concerned Citizen · Reply

  • Isn't it so obvious that Zakir Naik is NOT A TRUE MUSLIM? The Prophet said "to you yours and to me mine". But Zakir Naik says that this whole planet must be inhabited by Muslims only. He says everybody is born a Muslim but their non-Muslim parents make them non-Muslims. So he says all non-Muslims should REVERT to Islam. Then he says he is not asking non-Muslims to CONVERT to Islam, but to REVERT to the religion of their birth. He tells Muslims that they must all be "terrorists", and with another breath says that he is a man of peace! He is a wolf in sheep's clothing. This man's history of preaching hate of all non-Muslim religions cannot be taken lightly like what the Malaysian government is doing. He is very clever in talking, like a roadside snake oil salesman. One has to look through him, not at him. He is like a cup shining on the inside, but full of poison and hatred for the non-Muslims on the inside.

    Posted 5 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

    • Typo error: He is like a cup shining on the outside, but full of poison ......... on the inside.

      Posted 5 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

  • Whats the problem? People come and see me people say thats not good. They say he is not suitable as Malaysia is like this or that. I dont understand, the minister added.

    Surely Zakir Naik did not barge, or gate crash, into Mujahid's office. It was a pre-arranged meeting which could not have happened if Mujahid had not agreed to see him. It was an "audience" granted by Mujahid. Mujahid should have snubbed his request for the "audience". By giving him an "audience" (he was not there with some problem or issue that needed Mujahid's personal attention to resolve), Mujahid gave him importance and acknowledgment of his past and present "inspiring" teachings.

    What if any of his "disciples" in Malaysia also say "

    Posted 5 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

  • Whats the problem? People come and see me people say thats not good. They say he is not suitable as Malaysia is like this or that. I dont understand, the minister added.

    Surely Zakir Naik did not barge, or gate crash, into Mujahid's office. It was a pre-arranged meeting which could not have happened if Mujahid had not agreed to see him. It was an "audience" granted by Mujahid. Mujahid should have snubbed his request for the "audience". By giving him an "audience" (he was not there with some problem or issue that needed Mujahid's personal attention to resolve), Mujahid gave him importance and acknowledgment of his past and present "inspiring" teachings.

    What if any of his "disciples" in Malaysia also say "

    Posted 5 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

    • What if any of his disciples in Malaysia also say "WHAT CAN WE DO FOR ZAKIR NAIK"?

      Posted 5 years ago by Ravinder Singh · Reply

  • All muslims are pretending abt ZN issue. Let us ALL NON MALAYS GET HELP FROM THE UNIVERSAL CREATOR to Protect our Place of Worship. Dont expect anything Good to come from them.

    Posted 5 years ago by Mindy Singh · Reply

  • After meeting with Zakir Naik, Mujahid now starting to speak with a fork-tongue.

    Posted 5 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

  • Lets never again vote for those we now know are truly idiots based on current behavior and thoughts.

    Posted 5 years ago by Concerned Citizen · Reply