By TCN News,
Many Muslim organisations including Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadees Hind, All India Milli Council, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Welfare Party of India (WPI), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and many other top clerics and Muslim scholars have extended support to Islamic Preacher Dr. Zakir Naik and called media campaign against him is an attempt to bully Indian Muslims as a whole.
Dr Zakir Naik, the founder of Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) is under the scanner following alleged revelations that two of the five young militants who massacred 20 hostages, including an Indian, at a popular cafe in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka on July 1, drew their inspiration from his speeches.
Responding to these allegations, Dr Zakir Naik released statement from Mecca and condemned terror acts of all sorts and said his speeches could not be inspiration for terrorists because he has time and again condemned terrorism in his talks.
In a statement released to the media, Nusrat Ali, Naeb Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Hind said the whole campaign against Dr. Zakir Naik is against the rights as defined in the Constitution of India.
“The vilification campaign against Dr. Naik is against the freedom of conscience, and free profession, practice and propagation of religion as defined in the constitution. It should be stopped immediately”, he said.
He said keeping in mind respects of other religions and within the framework of the constitutional rights Dr. Zakir Naik is preaching and highlighting the true teachings of Islam like hundreds of preachers belonging to other religions.
“Dr. Zakir Naik’s speeches and debates are listened by millions of people across the world and since last many years. It is surprising that his speeches are now given a particular colour and a campaign is underway to disturb the secular fabric of the country”, he said.
“Such attempts might be useful for short-term political gains. But, they are becoming a blot on India’s image and sending a wrong message vis-à-vis the inclusive multi-cultural identity of the country”, he said.
Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi, General Secretary, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind in a signed statement slammed the media campaign against Dr. Zakir Naik and termed it a deliberate attempt to divert attention from government’s failure to address the key issues facing the country.
“Terrorism is the worst challenge the country and the world is facing today. ISIS (Daesh) and other terrorist organizations are biggest temptation and trial in today’s world. These organizations have been deliberately created to achieve many targets by powers working with vested interest”, he said.
“Muslims have nothing to do with these organizations. It is most shameful to target Dr. Zakir Naik and other Muslims in this manner. It is nothing but an attempt to divert attention from the government’s failure”, he said.
He said Dr Naik is known for his message of peace and harmony, and there are numerous examples in his speeches wherein he has slammed terrorism and violence in strongest possible words.
“It is shameful that image and integrity of such a person is maligned for cheap and shirt term political gains”, he said.
“The forces behind this ugly campaign should know that by running such malicious campaigns against renwoned and respectable public figures they are only tarnishing the country’s image and its bright history”, he said.
The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) on Saturday while condemning the media campaign against Dr. Zakir Naik, called it a conspiracy hatched up by the saffron brigade supported by its cohorts in the media to malign the popular preacher.
“The Union Government has started a crackdown on Dr. Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and Peace TV with the aid of a section of prejudiced media who are showing his statements cut in half and false allegations are being leveled against him since he speaks with evidence that idol worship is not allowed even in Hinduism and advocates monotheism”, Elyas Thumbe, National General Secretary of SDPI said in a statement.
“The Bjp – Shiv Sena led Government of Maharashtra is misusing its administrative powers in the name of enquiries and investigations to harass and bully moderate Muslim Organizations”, Shahanshah Jehangir, National Secretary of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) said in a statement released to media.
Defending Dr Naik, he said, “Dr.Zakir Naik is a research scholar on Comparative Religion and not a Scholar to comment on Islamic Religious Issues. A large majority of Muslims have differences with various opinions of Dr.Zakir Naik.
Mahmood Darybadi, President of the All India Milli Council, Mumbai also extended support to Dr. Zakir Naik and slammed the media for running shameful campaign against him.
‘We have differences of opinions on some religious issues with Dr. Zakir Naik. But, attempts to paint his entire efforts as something which promotes terrorism and violence is absolutely wrong and misleading”, he said in a statement.
Daryabadi also accused the media of bias and termed the entire campaign against Dr. Zakir Naik a deliberate and planned exercise to target the preacher on the basis of cooked up allegaitions.
“In the last 3-4 days, several journalists called me for my reactions on the ongoing debate on Dr. Zakir Naik. Because of my differences with Dr. Naik, they expected me to follow their own lines. When I refused, they censored my actual views and declined to publish”, he said.
“It clearly shows that the entire exercise has behind it a clever, well calculated and planned motives”, he said.