When Zakir Naik emerged from a prominent Malaysian mosque last month, fans swarmed about him, seeking selfies with the Indian Muslim televangelist whose hardline views have sparked a criminal investigation back in his home country.
Accompanied by a bodyguard, Naik was making a rare public appearance at the Putra Mosque in Malaysia's administrative capital, where the prime minister and his cabinet members often worship.
Naik, who has been banned in the UK, has been given permanent residency in Malaysia, and embraced by top government officials.
Critics see Naik's presence in Malaysia as another sign of top-level support for hardline Islam in a country with substantial minorities of Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, and which has long projected a moderate Islamic image.
May Soon Make An Official Request for Extradition of Zakir Naik: MEA
The Ministry of External Affairs, on Friday, said that once India's legal internal process is completed, they will make an official request for extradition of Zakir Naik to the Malaysian Government. According to ANI, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar stated that the nature of the request could become clear in the next couple of weeks.
Malaysian Govt Seen Mingling With Naik
The Malaysian government accommodates Naik because "he remains a reasonably popular character amongst Malays, who gloss over his more controversial aspects," said Rashaad Ali, an analyst with S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore.
If the government were to kick him out of the country, it causes them to lose religious credibility in the eyes of the public.Rashaad Ali, Analyst at RSIS
At his appearance at the Putra mosque in October, a female Reuters reporter asked about the investigation in India. Naik would only say: "Sorry, it is not right for me to speak with ladies in public."
Naik did not respond to subsequent requests for comment from Reuters.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told parliament on Tuesday that Naik, who obtained permanent residency five years ago, was not being given "preferential treatment".
"Over the time spent in this country, he has not broken any laws or regulations. As such, there is no reason from a legal standpoint to detain or arrest him," Zahid said. The government has not received any official request from India "related to terrorism allegations involving him", he added.
Zahid and the prime minister have both posted photos on Facebook of their meetings with Naik last year in Malaysia.
Naik Enjoys Opposition Support Too
A group of Malaysian activists has filed suit in the High Court to deport Naik, saying he is a threat to public peace in the multi-racial society (about 40 percent of Malaysia's population is non-Muslim). The group said it was unaware Naik had been going to the Putrajaya mosque, or ot where he might be in Malaysia.
Officials at the Putra Mosque said Naik has been attending Friday prayers there for about a month. He has also been spotted in other mosques, hospitals and restaurants in the administrative capital in recent months, according to witnesses that Reuters spoke to.
Naik has in the past denied India's allegations. In an interview with a Kuwaiti television channel in May, he said he was being targeted by the Hindu nationalist government of Narendra Modi because of his popularity.
Malaysia’s opposition Islamic Party (PAS), which has defended Naik in the past, last week urged the government to disregard any potential Indian extradition request, saying the allegations aim “to block his influence and efforts to spread religious awareness among the international community.”
“Islam Sells”
Islamic groups have stoked controversy for trying to impose their ethos in a multicultural country. Malaysian authorities cancelled a planned beer festival last month, citing security concerns, and for some years now international pop stars who wish to make appearances in Malaysia face restrictions over clothing and dancing.
Islam is the official religion in Malaysia. The laws, however, are secular, though the country does have sharia courts for civil cases for Muslims.
Malaysia's nine sultans, who take turns as the mostly ceremonial monarch and are the official guardians of Islam in Malaysia, last month called for unity and religious harmony after what they described as "excessive actions" in the name of Islam. One of them harshly condemned a Muslim-only launderette.
“We are seeing this gravitation towards fundamentalism and a conservative idea of Islam because the current government doesn’t want to be seen as secular anymore,” said Ahmad Farouk Musa, founder of a moderate Islam think-tank, Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF). To ensure Malay support, the government thinks it has “to have Islamic credentials just like PAS,” Farouk told Reuters. “Islam sells.”
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