Bangladesh bans Zakir Naik’s Peace TV

The cabinet committee on law and order on Sunday chose to ban transmission of Peace TV that broadcasts speeches by Mumbai-based Islamic scholar Zakir Naik.

Naik, a speaker on Peace TV, is under the scanner following revelations that two of the five terrorists who massacred 20 hostages at a cafe in Dhaka on July 1 drew inspiration from his speeches. “But as a minister, I will not comment what action will be taken”. Maharashtra government yesterday ordered a probe into the speeches by the Muslim televangelist.

“If we have a request from Dhaka to ban Zakir Naik, we will seriously consider it, ” Rijiju told online news portal bdnews24.

I&B ministry officials said Naik’s TV channels including in Bangla and Urdu – which are beamed in Bangladesh are “banned” in India but shown by some cable TV operators.

The Indian authorities on Friday said they were examining and analysing the speeches of Naik and appropriate action will follow. “Police are yet to get into touch with Naik”, he said.

The police are likely to submit the report to the state government next week following which a decision will be taken whether to initiate criminal proceedings against Naik.

Muslim clerics from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, want the popular preacher arrested, with a blanket ban on his TV network Peace TV.

The government also appealed to Imams in the country to deliver lectures denouncing terrorism and extremism, in accordance with true Islamic ideology, the minister said.

However, BJP was quick to target Singh and also demanded action against Naik, saying he was a “threat” to national security as it was clear from his speeches that he “incited” people.

“Already there are certain complaints from the Maulanas of Bangladesh that his (Naik) teachings are not in line with the Quranic teachings and Hadith”, information minister Hasanul Haq Inu said on Wednesday.

Naik is believed to the most discussed preacher next to Arab religious exponents and is understood to have considerable influence on listeners in Bangladesh. The report said that one of the terrorists had propagated on Facebook past year quoting Peace TV’s preacher Zakir Naik urging all Muslims to be “terrorists”.

The Daily Star stands corrected on its report that he was banned in Malaysia.