“The ban on Zakir Naik is necessary in view of internal security of the nation as well as for preventing Muslim youth from the influence of Wahabi ideology,” Shujat Qadri, general secretary of Muslim Students Oraganisation (MSO) of India, said.
“Zakir Naik has been seeding Wahabi ideology in India with the help of financial assistance from Saudi Arabia. The government ban on his organisation ‘Islamic Research Foundation’ is a welcome step,” he said in a statement.
Qadri alleged that previous government at the Centre “did not pay attention” to it, but the Modi government had served the national interest by imposing a ban on Naik’s organisation.
He also demanded the government to extending the ban for an idenfinite period and file cases against Naik.
The Central government had on November 15 decided to declare Islamic Research Foundation promoted by controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik as an “outlawed” organisation under the anti-terror law for five years for its alleged terror activities.
The move came after investigation by the Home Ministry found that the NGO was allegedly having dubious links with Peace TV, an international Islamic channel, accused of propagating terrorism.
PTI