CONTROVERSIAL preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s presence in Malaysia is seen by critics as a sign of top-level support for hard-line Islam in the country, reported the Times of India.

It said support for a “more politicised Islam” had grown in the past few years under Prime Minister Najib Razak, especially following the ruling coalition’s poor performance in the 2013 general election.

With the 14th general election to be called by August next year, Najib’s party, Umno, has been attempting to draw support from an increasingly conservative Malay-Muslim base.

Zakir, who hails from India and is known for his puritan brand of Islam, has been a permanent resident in Malaysia for more than five years.

He has been banned in the UK, and last week, India’s National Investigation Agency filed a charge sheet against him for allegedly inciting youngsters to carry out terror activities and giving hate speeches.

Rashaad Ali, an analyst with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, was quoted as saying if the government were to boot Zakir out of Malaysia, it would cause the authorities “to lose religious credibility in the eyes of the public”.

He said the government accommodated Zakir despite the legal troubles he faced overseas because “he remains a reasonably popular character among Malays, who gloss over his more controversial aspects”.

Putrajaya has denied giving the preacher “special treatment” as alleged by certain parties, with the Home Ministry saying he has not broken laws in Malaysia. – November 2, 2017.