Fugitive Zakir Naik invited by Qatar to give talks during FIFA World Cup

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20

Islamist evangelist Zakir Naik, wanted in India for promoting enmity among religious groups and inciting youths to commit terrorist acts, has been invited by Qatar to give lectures throughout the FIFA World Cup which began on Sunday at a stadium 35 km from Doha.

Fled India in 2016

• Zakir Naik, who faces charges of money laundering and hate speech in India, fled country in 2016
• He took refuge in Malaysia, where he was banned from giving speeches
• His Peace TV network is also banned in Bangladesh, Canada, Sri Lanka and the UK

The news about the invite split the social media with many raising questions about Naik getting a public airing, three years after he was banned from delivering speeches in Malaysia, his country of refuge after he fled India in 2016 on accusations of hate speeches, subversion and money laundering. Besides India, his Peace TV network is also banned in Bangladesh, Canada, Sri Lanka and the UK.

Naik is accused of influencing through his speeches perpetrators of the 2016 Dhaka bombing that killed 20, including 17 foreigners, and the much more devastating Easter bombings in Sri Lanka that killed over 250 in 2019. Some who joined the ISIS and were later apprehended confessed that the turning point was their meeting with Naik, who has denied having any role.

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