Sunni leaders want ban on Naik’s TV discourses

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, July 8

After Barelvi Muslim clerics, now Shia leaders have come out against English-speaking preacher and popular televangelist Zakir Naik, demanding a ban on his Peace TV discourses.

During the Eid ‘khutba’ (special sermon), Maulana Shahbudeen Razvi, a prominent Barelvi cleric, demanded a blanket ban on Naik’s discourses.

Bareilly Qazi Maulana Asjad Raza Khan Qadri demanded a ban on Naik for his alleged hate speeches against what he described as “against Islam and Indian culture”.

Prominent Shia cleric and general secretary of the Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Hind Kalbe Jawad also exhorted the community not to pay attention to Wahabi Muslim leaders and preachers like Naik.

“Such leaders speak the language of extremism, which gives rise to terrorism, and, hence, is not acceptable in any form,” said Jawad.

The animosity of UP clerics against Naik is quite old. He had hit headlines in Uttar Pradesh when on October 30, 2008 local ulemas had forced then Mayawati government of the state to prevent Naik from addressing meetings in Allahabad, Kanpur and Lucknow.

Both Shia and Sunni ulemas are against Naik and had united to ban his meetings in the state. Maulana Hashim Kachauchwi a respected Sunni scholar then had charged him of not being a Muslim.

The renewed call for action against Naik comes following reports that the recent terrorist attacks in Bangladesh had been carried out by elements inspired by his discourses broadcast on his Peace TV channel.