Zakir Naik: The televangelist of hate?

The preacher claims he has penetrated the minds of millions with his ‘solution for humanity’, the tag line for his Peace TV.

Bangladesh is the latest to ban this free-to-air channel, following Malaysia, another Muslim-majority nation. The UK and Canada have been denying him entry since 2010. 

India, too, has a ban in place since 2012 but not effective enough to stop cable operators from downloading his content and airing them anyway. 

He now feels the heat turned up after at least two of Dhaka cafe attack terrorists were found to be his followers.

India is investigating his speeches, funding, foreign travels and views shared on the social sites.    

                                                     Questionable quotes 

Origin: Darwin’s theory of evolution is just a ‘theory’ and not a fact like the ‘theory’ of creation.

Terror: “If al-Qaeda’s Osama Bin Laden is on the truth and fighting Islam’s enemies then I’m for him… If he is terrorising America, the biggest terrorists I’m with him.” He explains further: “Every Muslim should be a terrorist to the anti-social element.” 

LGBT: “They are sinful patients suffering from a mental problem,” and demands death penalty for homosexuals.

Non-Muslims: "Allah shall not accept anyone except Muslims." 

Interfaith marriage: “If you have a vehicle where one tyre is of a cycle and the other is of a truck, then the vehicle will not run,” he tells to a woman and says “Allah will never forgive her”. 

9/11: Even a fool would know that the US, not al-Qaeda, is behind the attack on the World Trade Center. 

Sex: “You can have sex with your wife and whatever your right hand possesses.”

Clothing: “If exposure of body is modernism, then animals are more modern than humans.”
 

Naik was born in Mumbai in October 1965. He attended Mumbai’s Kishinchand Chellaram College.

He then studied medicine at Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital, a public college also located in Mumbai. 

He is said to have begun Da’wah in 1991, which means an attempt to convert someone to Islam. Naik founded the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), the charity that owns Peace TV set up first in 2006.

The sermons by Naik and many others are broadcast from Dubai, but the headquarters are based in Mumbai. Peace TV Bangla was set up in 2011 after its Urdu version aired in 2009.      

Naik said he met Ahmed Deedat in 1987 and was inspired by the 'Muslim missionary' who had made a name for himself by taking part in ‘inter-religious’ public debate with Christian priests.   

Deedat was born in India’s Surat district in 1918. He migrated to South Africa in 1927 to join his father and studied there until sixth grade. He authored many books and distributed their copies free of charge. He died in South Africa in 2005. 

Naik, now a 50-year-old, has impressed his viewers by quoting the Quran, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Bible to discredit preachers and experts from other religions on his TV shows. 

He set up the Islamic International School and is its principal. The school’s main branch in Mumbai offers various scholarship and trains its students for being ‘ambassadors of Islam’.

His wife Farhat Naik is said to be the manager of the IRF.  

In March 2015, he was hailed by Saudi Arabia for his ‘service to Islam’ and awarded the King Faisal International Prize.

His idol Deedat had received the same honour in 1986.