Islamic Radical Preacher Zakir Naik’s Visit to Pakistan

एकं हन्यान्न वा हन्यादिषुः क्षिप्तो धनुष्मता।
प्राज्ञेन तु मतिः क्षिप्ता हन्याद्गर्भगतानपि॥

(English translation: The arrow shot by an archer may or may not kill a single man;
but skilful intrigue devised by intelligent men can kill even those who are in the womb. ^[1])
-Arthashastra 10.6.55

On the invitation of the Government of Pakistan, an Islamic fundamentalist preacher and proscribed individual— Zakir Naik, arrived in Islamabad, along with his son— Shaikh Fariq Naik, for almost a month’s visit, from 01 to 28 October 2024. Zakir Naik is a proscribed and ‘most wanted’ individual in Bharat on charges of hate speech and inciting communal disharmony. In 2017, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a supplementary chargesheet against Zakir Naik for inciting Muslim youth to engage in terror activities and promoting enmity between communities. ^[2] The charges were filed under several Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (earlier known as the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860. Zakir Naik fled to Malaysia in 2016 and became a permanent resident. The NIA attempted to issue an INTERPOL Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him, but the request was denied due to insufficient evidence. ^[3] However, on 19 January 2018, Bharat made the ‘Provisional Arrest Request and Extradition Request’ regarding Zakir Naik to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Malaysia^[4], but no positive response was received. The write-up briefly discusses the background of Zakir Naik and highlights concerns for Bharat about his visit to Pakistan.

Zakir Naik: A Controversial, Influential, Radical Islamic Preacher

Born in Mumbai, then Bombay, in 1965, Dr Zakir Naik (hereafter Zakir Naik) studied medicine and obtained an MBBS from the University of Mumbai. In 1991, Zakir Naik started working in Dawah and established the Islamic International School and United Islamic Aid in Mumbai, which provides scholarships to underprivileged Muslim youth. ^[5] In the same year, Zakir Naik founded the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), a non-profit organisation that promotes understanding of the Islamic religion through media and education. In January 2006, the IRF launched “Peace TV”, a free-to-air TV channel to facilitate Zakir Naik’s public lectures and further discourses on Islam.^[6]

The Peace TV channel is headquartered in Mumbai but was uplinked from Dubai, UAE. The channel broadcasts Da’wah^[7]-oriented programmes designed to convert non-believers to Islam. In 2015, the Mumbai police barred Zakir Naik from holding public lectures because he had stirred controversy over religion, and Bharatiya satellite providers refused to broadcast his channel, Peace TV. ^[8] However, as of August 2019, Peace TV was aired in Bharat through a free application uploaded via Google Play Store, which had been downloaded over 100,000 times. ^[9]

Zakir Naik, since 2016, has emerged as a prominent preacher in the Muslim community; however, his speeches belittle the other sects of Islam— Shia and Ahmadi. His sermons and lectures are in English, not in Urdu or Arabic. Though Naik does not claim to follow a specific school of thought in Islam, his speeches and ideology seem to align with Salafis. According to an estimate, he has delivered over 4,000 lectures worldwide and the viewership of his TV channel, Peace TV, exceeded 100 million. ^[10] On social media, as of 2024, Zakir Naik’s Facebook/Meta account has 2.4 million followers, his YouTube channel followers count to 3.89 million with 4,200 videos uploaded, his X/Twitter account has 223.3K followers, and his recent Instagram account has 7,609 followers (the Meta suspended his previous account).

On 01-02 July 2016, five terrorists of Islamic State’s Bengal Province (IS-BP) attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan Thana, located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Terrorists took several dozen hostages, including foreigners and locals. As Dhaka Metropolitan Police failed to regain control of the situation, the Bangladesh Armed Forces launched a counter-assault— Operation Thunderbolt and eliminated all five terrorists. The terror attack resulted in the killing of 29 people, including 20 hostages, two police officers, and two bakery staff. The investigations of the attack revealed that one of the five terrorists followed Zakir Naik’s Facebook page and was influenced by his lectures/speeches. ^[11] As per a news report, one of the terrorists had posted a message on his Facebook quoting Zakir Naik urging “all Muslims to be terrorists”. ^[12] On 19 November 2022, due to a technical glitch, a low-intensity “Pressure Cooker” bomb/Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded in a moving autorickshaw in Mangalore city, Karnataka, injuring the auto driver and terrorist identified as Mohammad Sadiq. ^[13] Karnataka police recovered Zakir Naik’s videos from Sadiq's mobile device.

Despite his popularity among the Muslim community, his speeches highlight the dark side of the social aspects of Islam. There have been several instances where it seems that Naik is promoting Sharia and radical Islam but rather than peace. In his speeches, he promoted implementation of Sharia in crime and punishment. To reduce the high crime rate in the United States (U.S.), Naik recommended chopping hands for stealing and similar punishments as mentioned in Sharia. ^[14] To an extent, Naik endorsed the death penalty for homosexuals who committed the act publicly. ^[15]

Zakir’s Pakistan Tour and Concerns for Bharat

Zakir Naik and his son are on a Pakistan tour from 01 to 28 October. As per schedule, Zakir Naik will be delivering lectures on 05-06 October (in Karachi), 12-13 October (in Lahore), and 19-20 October (in Islamabad). ^[16] These public lectures will be on the teachings of Islam and Hadith, especially on the Islamic faith and the challenges that Muslim Ummah faces. Since his arrival in Pakistan on 01 October, Zakir Naik met and interacted with the State Head and other VIPs, including Ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Ethiopia, and the Maldives to Pakistan.

The visit is significant as it comes amid the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism in South Asia, notably political turmoil in Bangladesh, instability in Pakistan and worsening Bharat-Pakistan relations. Post-nullification of Article 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, the security situation has significantly improved with a decline in terror incidents and lesser recruitment of locals into Pakistan-sponsored terror groups, including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizb ul-Mujahideen (HM). Zakir’s visit to Pakistan can be seen as a provocative move by welcoming an individual accused of promoting radicalism and enlisted as a fugitive in Bharat. However, Pakistan has a track record of sheltering Bharat’s most-wanted terrorists and criminals on its soil, notably Dawood Ibrahim, slain al-Qa’ida leader Osama bin Laden besides several others included in the UN list of terrorists.

Naik’s visit to Pakistan is likely to inspire radical and fundamental Islamist groups to promote radicalisation within Pakistan and in neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh and Maldives, where the Islamic extremism is on the rise. Through his visit, Pakistan hopes to appease Islamist factions within the country. His ability to gather masses and influence vulnerable Muslim youth through his speeches may have consequences beyond Pakistan. Due to Bharat’s foreign policy under the aegis of the present government, Pakistan has been facing virtual isolation from the Islamic world and international platforms. By inviting Zakir Naik, Pakistan expects the promotion of Islamic identity and is looking forward to strengthening relations with the Islamic world, especially with Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, and Türkiye.

Conclusion

Zakir Naik has been a controversial figure due to his speeches promoting (radical) Islamic teachings. While he has been accused of inspiring extremist views, there is no direct evidence linking him to terrorist attacks or the Islamic State (IS). His lectures have drawn criticism for his interpretation of Islam and have been cited by some individuals involved in terrorism as motivational. However, Naik himself denies any connection to violence or extremism. Governments and various organisations have scrutinised his influence, but the relationship between his speeches and acts of terrorism is complex and often debated.

Naik’s visit to Pakistan cannot be seen just as a religious tour but as a calculated political move by Pakistan which may affect regional security dynamics. Though Zakir Naik does not have a significant influence on Bharatiya Muslims, law enforcement agencies must closely monitor his activities. Engaging with moderate religious and community leaders to discuss and disseminate ‘radicalisation as a threat’ is another way to counter Zakir Naik’s radical ideologies. Bharat must strengthen collaboration with other nations, mainly the Islamic world, to counter transnational extremist ideologies and work on legal procedures for extraditions of fugitives, including Zakir Naik.

Endnotes

^[1] Kautilya Arthashastra in English: Bio, Books, PDF & Summary. https://chanakyadrishti.com/kautilya-arthashastra/ [3]
^[2] FP Staff. “4,000-page chargesheet alleges preacher promoted enmity, hatred between communities”, FirstPost, 27 October 2017, available from: https://www.firstpost.com/india/zakir-naik-charged-by-nia-4000-page-charge-sheet-alleges-preacher-promoted-enmity-and-hatred-between-communities-4179111.html [4]
^[3] PTI. “India pressurizing Interpol for red corner notice: Zakir Naik”, Hindustan Times, 26 April 2019, available from: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-pressurising-interpol-for-red-corner-notice-zakir-naik/story-kqcUzqnGckIZfo2QEZhInI.html [5]
^[4] “Red Corner Notice Against Zakir Naik”, Rajya Sabha-Unstarred Question no. 884, 25 July 2018, available from: https://sansad.in/rs/questions/questions-and-answers [6]
^[5] “Naik v Secretary of State for the Home Department & Anor [2010] EWHC 2825 (Admin)”, 05 November 2010, available from: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2010/2825.html [7]
^[6] ET Bureau. “All you need to know about Zakir Naik”, The Economic Times, 08 July 2016, available from: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/people/all-you-need-to-know-about-zakir-naik/whos-zakir-naik/slideshow/53109953.cms [8]
^[7] Note: Dawah/Da’wah is the proselytism for Islam which endorse a policy to convert people’s religious or political beliefs.
^[8] “Saudi award goes to Muslim Televangelist who harshly criticizes the U.S.”, New York Times, 02 March 2015, available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/world/middleeast/saudi-award-goes-to-dr-zakir-naik-a-muslim-televangelist-who-harshly-criticizes-us.html?_r=0 [9]
^[9] Kumar, Ankit. “Despite ban, Zakir Naik’s Peace TV continues to reach millions”, India Today, 20 August 2019, available from: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/zakir-naik-peace-tv-continues-to-reach-millions-1582710-2019-08-20 [10]
^[10] Vyas, Sharad. “4,000 speeches, counting, fans swear by Zakir Naik”, The Hindu, 17 November 2021, available from: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/4000-speeches-amp-counting-fans-swear-by-Naik/article60528462.ece [11]
^[11] Lakshmi, Rama. “This Islamic preacher might have influenced one of the Dhaka terrorists. Now Indians want him banned”, The Washington Post, 07 July 2016, available from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/06/did-an-indian-islamic-tv-evangelist-inspire-one-of-the-dhaka-terrorists-many-indians-say-the-preacher-must-be-banned/ [12]
^[12] Ibid.
^[13] Chauhan, Bala. “Mangalore auto blast: Passenger was involved in Nov 2020 terror graffiti case”, The New Indian Express, 20 November 2022, available from: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2022/Nov/20/mangalore-auto-blast-passenger-wasinvolved-in-nov-2020-terror-graffiti-case-2520281.html [13]
^[14] Bose, Adrija. “10 times ‘Islamic Preacher’ Zakir Naik proved that he promoted anything but Peace”, Huffpost, 07 July 2016, available from: https://www.huffpost.com/archive/in/entry/10-times-islamic-preacher-zakir-naik-proved-that-he-promoted-a_n_10851550 [14]
^[15] Dhume, Sadanand. “The Trouble with Zakir Naik”, Wall Street Journal, 20 June 2010, available from: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704365204575317833268479268?mod=asia_opinion%7Ctitle%3DThe [15]
^[16] ANI. “Fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik meets Pak PM, to hold lectures, interactions across country”, WION, 02 October 2024, available from: https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/fugitive-islamic-preacher-zakir-naik-meets-pak-pm-all-set-for-interactions-across-country-763949 [16]

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