ZAKIR Naik was mischievous and attempting to stoke inter-racial and inter-religious tension when he questioned the loyalty of Malaysian Hindus towards Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.

It was highly irresponsible and mischievous when the televangelist compared Hindus in Malaysia with Muslims in India, adding that the former enjoyed more than 100% rights in Malaysia compared with Muslims in India, he said.

“He (Zakir) said it is unfortunate that the Hindu community in Malaysia is more loyal towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead of Dr Mahathir, despite reaping the benefits of being a citizen,” Lim said in a statement today.

The doctor-turned-preacher has cast baseless aspersions on the Indian Malaysians who have made great sacrifices and contributed towards nation-building, Lim said.

“The authorities should act against the controversial preacher.”

Lim, who is also Iskandar Puteri MP, said Malaysian authorities should not pander to foreigners who abuse their permanent resident privileges by stoking inter-racial and inter-religious tension and conflict in the country.

Zakir recently toured Kelantan where he delivered talks at several locations in the PAS-ruled state.

He is wanted by the authorities in his home country of India for money-laundering and terrorism-related activities. 

Putrajaya’s decision to give him refuge has drawn criticism from Hindus and non-Muslims here.

A constant critic of Zakir, Penang Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy hit out at the preacher for questioning the loyalty of Hindus here.

Ramasamy in an opinion piece said Zakir might not be doing Dr Mahathir any favours by lavishing praise on the leader who had stood up for him

“In his recent speech in Kota Baru, Kelantan, as special guest of the PAS government, he praised Dr Mahathir as the best Muslim leader in the Islamic world for standing up to the atrocities against Muslims in certain countries,” Ramasamy said.

“He even went to the extent of saying that if some former Western leaders showed up in Malaysia, they might be arrested for crimes against Muslims in Iraq and other Muslim nations.

“I’m not sure whether Dr Mahathir will be happy or embarrassed by the excessive praise from Zakir. I’m not sure as to the real reason for it. Well, it might be due to the fact that Dr Mahathir is an effective leader. Or maybe not,” he added.

Former MIC president Dr S. Subramaniam said the presumption that the preacher would not get a fair trial in India was no basis for allowing him to remain in Malaysia.

He said Dr Mahathir was setting a dangerous precedent by allowing Zakir to remain based on the presumption.

“Should we start this game of judging the judicial systems of foreign countries according to our own convenience and political choices?” the former health minster asked in a Facebook post.

“What if foreign countries do the same to us?

“Don’t worry Tun M, there are enough people in India, including his own followers, who will ensure he gets a fair trial.” – August 12, 2019.