New Delhi: Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who was banned in India after facing charges of hate speech and money laundering, is in Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Naik, who is wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the NIA, is expected to give religious lectures ahead of the tournament.
Faisal Alhajri, a TV presenter at the Qatari state-owned sports channel Alkass, wrote on Twitter, "Preacher Sheikh Zakir Naik is in Qatar during the World Cup and will give many religious lectures throughout the World Cup."
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الداعيه الشيخ ذاكر نايك يتواجد في قطر خلال فترة كأس العالم وسيقدم العديد من المحاضرات الدينية طوال المونديال 👏🏻#ذاكر_نايك pic.twitter.com/Tz9gnU6c4N
— فيصل الهاجري (@Faisal_Alhajri0) November 19, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">الداعيه الشيخ ذاكر نايك يتواجد في قطر خلال فترة كأس العالم وسيقدم العديد من المحاضرات الدينية طوال المونديال 👏🏻#ذاكر_نايك pic.twitter.com/Tz9gnU6c4N
— فيصل الهاجري (@Faisal_Alhajri0) November 19, 2022الداعيه الشيخ ذاكر نايك يتواجد في قطر خلال فترة كأس العالم وسيقدم العديد من المحاضرات الدينية طوال المونديال 👏🏻#ذاكر_نايك pic.twitter.com/Tz9gnU6c4N
— فيصل الهاجري (@Faisal_Alhajri0) November 19, 2022
Also read: UAPA Tribunal confirms Centre's decision declaring Zakir Naik's IRF as unlawful
Naik, an expert on comparative religion, was known for his dawah sermons (calling people to Islam) and other activities related to it through his Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation (IRF). In 2016, India banned IRF while accusing Naik of encouraging his followers to promote or attempt to promote feelings of enmity and hatred among religious communities.
Since 2017, Naik has been living in exile in Malaysia. The Indian government has pressed charges against him over money laundering as well. To mention, the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has denied issuing a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Zakir Naik.
In 2021, the Centre extended for five years the ban imposed on the IRF. The organisation was first declared an unlawful organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967) by the central government on November 17, 2016.
