IS ZAKIR NAIK A MALAYSIAN CITIZEN?
Zakir Naik fled to Malaysia in July 2016 after it was found that the terrorists who attacked the Dhaka cafe were allegedly inspired by his speeches on waging ‘jihad’.
A news report by an online news portal, malaysiakini, dated 22 October 2019, states that “there is no record of controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik having applied for Malaysian citizenship.”
The statement was given by Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. He further added that “the NRD issued a MyPR to Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (more commonly known as Dr Zakir) on 21 April 2016.”
The National Registration Department (NRD) of Malaysia issues MyPR cards to permanent residents.
The statement came after the controversy Naik stirred with his racial remarks against Chinese in Malaysia, calling them “guests,” in his speech at Kota Bahru on 11 August, 2019.
He also suggested that “Indians in Malaysia were more supportive of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi than Malaysian leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad.”
The NDTV reported that, according to PM Mahathir, Naik’s permanent residence could be taken away.
In September 2019, PM Modi met the Malaysian PM on the sidelines of the fifth meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum and discussed Naik’s extradition.
However, there are no reports of Naik being granted citizenship by the Malaysian government. Evidently, an old picture has been shared out of context.
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