Recently, reports started surfacing that Islamic preacher Zakir Naik is likely to be deported from the Sultanate of Oman to India. Many media outlets claimed that Indian Intelligence Agencies were in conversation with the authorities in Oman to detain Zakir Naik during his visit to the country.

Controversial Islamist Zakir Naik who is known to have spearheaded conversions to Islam and is a known preacher of the radical Wahhabi ideology, arrived the Sultanate of Oman on Wednesday morning, purportedly as a 'State Guest' on a public lecture tour on Ramzan eve, setting alarm bells ringing in Delhi's national security establishment. Naik has been invited to deliver two religious lectures in Muscat on March 23 and 25.

However, Naik’s lawyer Mubin Solkar has refuted these reports, calling them fake, The Quint reported.

Who is Zakir Naik?

Zakir Naik is an Islamic preacher who has been in the news for various reasons over the years. In 2016, Naik was accused of promoting terrorism and hate speech by the Indian government, and his speeches and writings were banned in India. He has also been banned from entering several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Malaysia. Naik currently resides in Malaysia, where he has been granted permanent residency status. He fled India in 2016 amid charges of spreading hatred and money laundering.

Some of the controversies surrounding Zakir Naik include his alleged support for Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, his comments about other religions and their followers, and his promotion of Islamic fundamentalism. He has also been criticized for his views on women's rights and for his stance on apostasy and blasphemy.

Naik has denied these allegations and has stated that his teachings are based on the Quran and the Hadith. He has also said that he is a proponent of peace and that his goal is to promote understanding and harmony between different religions. Despite the controversies surrounding him, Zakir Naik has a large following and continues to speak at events and conferences around the world.

Naik was born in Mumbai and completed his MBBS degree in the city. He also founded the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), which is currently banned in India.

He landed in a major controversy after it was revealed that one of the accused in the 2016 Dhaka cafe attack was inspired by his speeches.

In the same year, IRF was banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967.

He received asylum in Malaysia

In 2017, Naik received asylum in Malaysia and became a permanent resident. Though, he was banned from speaking in public in Malaysia, and the country has refused to extradite him. Recently, Zakir Naik was in the headlines when reports claimed that Qatar had extended an invitation to him to attend the FIFA World Cup. Later, the country denied the claims.

References:

oneindia.com