Zakir Naik’s PR status is very much my business
Concerned citizens cannot be flippantly dismissed from offering views in a discourse around national security, simply based on the fact that they are not of a particular religion.
PAS information chief and Temerloh MP, Nasrudin Hassan swiftly reprimanded Health Minister, Dr S Subramaniam, who is also the MIC chief, suggesting that his cabinet portfolio did not warrant his interference into the matter.
Malay rights group Perkasa equally took offence at what it deemed to be non-Muslim meddling in the residency status awarded to Naik by the Malaysian government, with the party’s Islamic Affairs Chief issuing a statement warning those opposing the awarding of the PR to stick to issues concerning their communities alone.
The rather inconvenient truth of the matter however, is that Naik’s numerous visits to this country, his fiery, impassioned talks and lectures, along with his recently revealed PR status cannot be relegated to merely being viewed through the simplistic lens of a Muslims Vs non-Muslims framework, which seems to underpin a growing number of discourses in the country.
Doing so only serves to further polarise a nation increasingly besieged by racial and religious polemics, in addition to creating further undercurrents of dissonance and divisiveness.
I am Malaysian, plain and simple. That is my identity and it is neither bolstered nor ablated by my ethnicity and set of beliefs. This is my country, as much as it is every other Malaysian’s, irrespective of race, religion, creed or even political allegiance.
Concerned citizens cannot be flippantly dismissed from offering views in a discourse around national security, simply based on the fact that they are not of a particular religion. Faith and judgement can and sometimes, need to be appreciated as two separate, individual entities.
My contentions with the outspoken preacher have little to do with his perspective and interpretation of Islam; that is after all his right. My concerns around him lie more with the fact that we seem to be continually embracing him with open arms instead of even the slightest bit of hesitation and tentativeness, despite a number of red flags raised about him around the world; that is my right.
Naik is currently banned from entering Canada and the United Kingdom whilst broadcasts from his Peace TV evangelical channel has been barred in Bangladesh, home to the fourth largest Muslim population in the world.
He is wanted by his home-country of India, with a second arrest warrant recently issued for his alleged role in a terror case, as well as money laundering charges.
His presence in Malaysia has often-time irked a fair few quarters and further frayed already somewhat fragile ties between certain communities. Yet instead of falling under closer scrutiny, Naik is seemingly being given the green light to carry on as he pleases.
In a nation where sedition charges are handed out like free candy, the preacher appears to have been given precedence over other more justifiable priorities such as national harmony and the legitimate grouses of an increasing number of Malaysian citizens regarding his PR status and presence in the country.
The Home Ministry which was responsible for awarding Naik with his PR status five years ago, has defended his access to the country, saying it had no reason to stop the televangelist for he had not broken any Malaysian law and neither had he been identified as a “terrorist entity” by the United Nations.
It begs the question of whether equally vocal, controversial advocates and clerics of other religions would be welcome with the same degree of permissiveness and acceptance, should they choose to come to Malaysia and speak as passionately about their own faiths.
For a government that often-time takes to shielding itself behind the veneer of maintaining peace and harmony in order to justify its many obstructions to various “sensitive” discourses, it surely is adopting a very benevolent, generous view of a man who has frequently been accused of causing conflict and strife in the country through offensive remarks and divisive opinions about other religions and the various non-Muslim communities.
Naik may be charismatic, knowledgeable, highly-respected and have an ardent army of supporters. He may have received notable accolades and awards. He may be widely admired and held in high-esteem.
He is still nevertheless a legitimate and justifiable concern. To prohibit Malaysians, irrespective of their faiths, from airing their disagreement and anxieties over an individual of questionable repute being given PR is highly troubling at best and preposterous at worse.
The safety of this nation and the well-being of her citizens, is our collective patriotic duty and responsibility; Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Gayatri Unsworth is an FMT columnist.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
With a firm belief in freedom of expression and without prejudice, FMT tries its best to share reliable content from third parties. Such articles are strictly the writer’s personal opinion. FMT does not necessarily endorse the views or opinions given by any third party content provider.