Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Wednesday defended Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, saying the allegations of him inciting terrorism were made “out of context”, the Straits Times reported.
“My officers have gone through each and every one his talks, be it in Malaysia, or overseas, as well as the Peace TV programmes he airs,” he said. “To date, there are no terror-related elements in them.”
Hamidi told the Malaysian Parliament that his government would extradite Naik if India made a request. However, he asserted that Malaysia will not revoke Naik’s Permanent Residency status as he had not violated any local laws.
On Thursday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the legal process to extradite Naik from Malaysia was almost complete and a request will soon be sent, PTI reported. Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said last week that India may submit a formal request “maybe in the next couple of weeks”.
Agencies have been monitoring Naik since allegations emerged that he inspired one of the militants behind the Dhaka restaurant attack on July 1, 2016. The Indian government banned his Islamic Research Foundation in November 2016 for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His passport has been revoked.
On October 26, the National Investigation Agency booked Naik for inciting the youth to take up terrorism and hate speech. The agency said its investigation showed Naik, “through his public speeches and lectures, has been promoting enmity and hatred between different religious groups in India”.