Malaysia gives Naik refuge to ‘appease’ its ethnic vote base
KUALALUMPUR: When Zakir Naik emerged from a prominent Malaysian mosque last month fans swarmed about him, seeking selfies with the 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 PM and his cabinet members often worship.
Naik has been given permanent residency in Malaysia, and embraced by top government officials.
Critics see his presence in Malaysia as another sign of toplevel support for hardline Islam in a country .
Support for a more politicised Islam has grown in recent years under PM Najib Razak, especially after he lost the popular vote in the 2013 general election — the ruling coalition’s worst-ever electoral performance.
Since then, his ruling party has been trying to appease an increasingly conservative ethnic Malay-muslim base and religion has become a battleground ahead of elections the PM has to call by mid-2018.
Naik has triggered controversy with his puritan brand of Islam — recommending the death penalty for homosexuals and those who abandon Islam as their faith, according to media reports
Last week, India’s counter-terrorism agency prepared charges against Naik, saying he has been “promoting enmity between different religious groups through public speeches and lectures”.
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 in Singapore.
MEETING THE PM
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.
A group of Malaysian activists has filed a suit in the high court to deport Naik, saying he is a threat to public peace in the multi-racial society .
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.”