Zakir Naik And His Ilk - Swami Nityanand, Dr Praveen Togadia, Sanatani YouTubers And Fanatic Hindu Babas
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
24 March
2023
Isn't it
sheer stupidity on the part of Indian government to ask Oman to arrest and
extradite the controversial Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik, who's currently
hiding in Malaysia? This will alert the fugitive and he'll simply refuse to
visit Oman! What did India do when he fled the country a few years ago? And on
a different note, what was Indian government doing when a fraud and rapist
called Swami Nityanand not only managed to flee but also 'build' a fictitious
nation called Kailasa near Ecuador?
Zakir Naik
-----
Agreed,
Zakir is a rogue and a zealot but what about Dr Praveen Togadia? Has the Indian
Medical Association cancelled the registration of these two medicos? All these
controversial characters were allowed, nay encouraged, to preach and spew venom
and when they became Frankenstein, the government either let them flee or
reside in the country without taking any action.
Zakir was
allowed to preach for nearly two decades despite people protesting that he
openly insulted all other faiths and shamelessly glorified Islam. He openly
presided over Dawat-e-Islam congregations and converted the gullible
masses. He called India, a Mulk-e-Butparastaan ( a country of idolaters)
but police and government chose to turn a Nelson's eye to his scurrilous and
extremely provocative speeches.
The problem
with a soi disant secular country like India is that religious freedom is often
stretched a trifle too long. In the name of
freedom, the religious figures, preachers and agents often become
threats to the country. Who was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale? He was a devout
Sikh, a sort of a Granthi, who eventually became an albatross and reason for
Mrs Indira Gandhi's assassination.
Ahmad
Deedat, the master and mentor of Zakir Naik, once jokingly as well as arrogantly
said that had he been an Indian citizen, he'd have converted the entire
population of India to Islam. He didn't exaggerate. Surat-born South African
rabid Muslim preacher Ahmad Deedat deceptively converted many people to Islam.
Quite a few converts now call themselves either ex-Muslims or atheists.
Zakir also
converted en masse just like Mother Teresa Christianized many poor people under
the pretext of service to the poorest of poor.
It seems
highly unlikely that Zakir will be deported. But a lesson can be learnt from
this episode and experience that whether a Hindu, Muslim, Christian or
Buddhist, no one should be allowed to preach religion in public and convert
anyone. Put a battalion of Hindu preachers, Sanatani YouTubers and fanatic
Hindu Babas behind the bars. But will the current Hindu political dispensation
ever do that?
------
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic
Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism