Zakir Naik, the Indian citizen and controversial Islamic preacher once again has stirred trouble in Malaysia with his criticism of non-Muslims.
He sparked protests from various political parties and civil society groups after he called on the Malaysian Chinese to “go back” as they were “old guests” of the country in response to calls for his deportation.
The police are now investigating him for the fallout of the religious talk entitled “Executive Talk bersama Dr Zakir Naik” in Kota Baru, Kelantan recently.
During the same talk, he also compared Hindus in Malaysia to the Muslims in India, saying that the Hindus here enjoyed over 100% rights in Malaysia compared to Muslims in India.
He allegedly said Hindus in Malaysia were more loyal to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi than Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Police say that they are investigating Zakir for intent to provoke a breach of the peace in the country with his incendiary comments.
The police also say they opened the investigation following reports made against the preacher. Some 115 police reports were made against Zakir.
They are investigating the matter under Section 504 of the Penal Code.
Zakir, wanted in India with alleged links to terror activities and money laundering lives in Malaysia where he holds a permanent residence.
Under some strict rules, a PR holder cannot do politics or get involved in political activities. Other than that, the PR holder is free to do anything they want.
However, some ministers are saying Zakir has abused his welcome and is now being exploited by the opposition.
Others say the government should revoke his PR status.
On a separate note, the police are also investigating the Chinese educationist group Dong Zong. The group was labelled ‘racist’ by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
A special Investigation Unit is looking into the Chinese group and intends to call members of the group for statements.
Dr Mahathir says the group which strongly opposes the introduction of Islamic calligraphy in vernacular schools, frequently protest over the government’s education policies.
The Dong Zong and other groups protest have turned into a racial battle in Malaysia where Malay-Muslims are saying some Chinese are ‘racists’.