Zakir Naik has been a hot topic on the local news ever since he stepped foot into this country. Known for his controversial statements, Zakir Naik made another remark recently stating that if Malaysians want him to leave the country then Chinese who aren’t born in Malaysia should leave first.
Prior to this, on 8th August 2019, Naik said that Hindu Malaysians trust the Indian government even more than our Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
At the same talk, when talking about Islam and how it was peacefully spread across our country through traders, Naik was quoted by Malaysiakini as saying,
“[…] Malaysia became fully Muslim. Then you have the Chinese coming, the Indians coming, the British coming. They are our new guests.”
“You know someone called me a guest. So I said, before me, the Chinese were the guests. If you want the new guest to go first, ask the old guest to go back. The Chinese aren’t born here, most of them. Maybe the new generations, yes.”
“If you want the guest to go back, and those guests which are bringing peace in the community, they are (a) benefit for the family.”
If you didn’t know, Zakir Naik is wanted in India – where he originates from – for money-laundering and terrorism charges, but the Malaysian government has turned down requests to deport him on the basis that he may not face a fair trial.
However, Tun M recently said that Malaysia will let Naik go if other countries want to take him under their wing. That said, a 2017 report revealed that Naik has been granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia.
Following that, many people have called for Naik to leave Malaysia voluntarily, including veteran politicians Lim Kit Siang (DAP) and Tan Sri Rais Yatim (Umno). Even Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran shared that Naik should not remain in Malaysia.
The HR minister reckoned that the preacher’s actions “do not reflect one deserving of a permanent resident status”. He said that this matter will be discussed in the upcoming cabinet meeting.
So, we guess we’ve got to keep our eyes opened for the update after the Cabinet Meeting. What’s your opinion on this matter? Let us know in the comments below!
Also read: Zakir Naik Calls Tun M “Fearless” For Not Deporting Him After GE14