The NZ dawah teams will be upset at this! Zakir Naik is popular with NZ Muslims, especially those in Christchurch (Aotearoa Maori Muslim Association / FIANZ groups) trying to recruit or defend their faith from those who know it’s true origins. This is evidenced by the thousands of his posts on their social media time-lines. In a case that’s been brewing for almost a decade, Zakir Naik’s foundation is banned from India after another appeal.
The Central Government banned the IRF based on the information it received pertaining to the various cases that had been registered against Zakir Naik and other members of the IRF under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The Central Government found that the IRF, particularly the Founder and President, Zakir Naik, had been encouraging and aiding its followers to promote or attempt to promote, on the grounds of religion, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious communities.
The Centre also observed that despite leaving for Malaysia in 2016, Zakir Naik continued to reach out to his followers, propagate his teachings via videos and posts on social media, promote hatred and ill-will among different religious communities, engage in forcible conversion of youngsters to Islam and had made derogatory statements against the Hindu, Hindu Gods and other religions.
Ban on Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s foundation upheld by tribunal
