Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and his son Fariq Naik are going to Pakistan on 5 October next month. Let us tell you that many cases related to money laundering and terrorism are registered against them and they are absconding from India along with their family. Both are going to travel there on the invitation of the Pakistan government. Before this tour, Zakir Naik gave an interview to a Pakistani YouTuber in which he talked about many issues related to India. Now an interview of Fariq Naik has also surfaced in which he told the story of leaving India and his father’s absconding.
Fariq Naik told Pakistani YouTuber Nadeer Ali on his show that his family was not in India when the controversy broke out. “It was reported in the media that Zakir Naik fled India but this is not true. We were in Mecca at that time. The controversy started a day before Eid,” Fariq said.
In the interview, Fariq said that after the 2016 Dhaka bombings, Zakir Naik’s name cropped up when one of the attackers said he was inspired by his father’s videos. However, Fariq Naik said his father had nothing to do with the blast. “If you show us any of his statements that promote terrorism, we will believe it. In fact, his statements were against terrorism,” Fariq said.
Why is Zakir Naik not returning to India?
Fariq said that despite the growing controversy, his father wanted to return to India, but the media exaggerated the matter, due to which Naik had to give up the idea of returning. Fariq said, “The Indian government was saying that first you come to India, then we will look into the charges against you. But we know that in many countries people are put in jail in false cases. This is why my father said that whatever case you want to pursue, do it on Zoom.” Fariq said that he also fears that if his family comes to India, cases will be filed against them too, which will take years to resolve.
How many people were converted?
On the issue of conversion, Fariq said that when he was in India, he was associated with an Islamic organisation that converts people to Islam. Now he is in Malaysia where the rate of conversion is increasing. He said, “After 9/11, two-thirds of the people who converted to Islam in Western countries are women.” When the YouTuber asked how many people Zakir Naik has converted to Islam, Fariq said, “I have converted only two-three people to Islam, but after leaving India, since Abba came on social media and live TV, many people are embracing Islam during this time.”
At the end of the interview, Fariq said that he misses India a lot but now he is living in Malaysia with his family. He said, “We are living peacefully in Malaysia. It is a Muslim country and there is an Islamic atmosphere here.”
