The past few days have witnessed Zakir Naik, an Indian Islamic preacher, become somewhat of a sensation in the media.
And now it’s former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju who has jumped into the debate surrounding Naik, his provocative views and the news that he reportedly “inspired” one of the gunmen who attacked a Dhaka bakery on 1 July.
Katju has challenged Naik to a “one-on-one televised debate”, in an email he sent to the controversial cleric.
This comes after Katju went on a social media rant against Naik, posting his views about him on Twitter, Facebook and on his blog.
In Katju’s eyes, Naik is not only an “idiot”, but also a propagator of religious fundamentalism that “breeds terrorism.”
Katju’s anger against Naik also found space for dissemination on news channels including Times Now and CNN IBN.
Zakir Naik came under fire for “promoting violence” after one of the Dhaka attackers spoke admiringly of him on Facebook.
The fiasco has prompted intelligence agencies to launch a probe into his speeches, has the Indian government worried, and also has the likes of Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and Sri Sri Ravishankar worried after videos of them sharing the stage with Naik surfaced.
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