Focus Malaysia:
Does PMX have the moral right to shelter Zakir Naik against India’s wishes to have him extradited?
IT may not be too much to assume that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is hesitant to facilitate the deportation of fugitive celebrity preacher Zakir Naik to his country of origin despite India being very keen ‘to welcome back’ the latter.
When prospect of extraditing the controversial televangelist popped up during Anwar’s recent three-day official visit to New Delhi, Anwar had reportedly (according to Indian media) thwarted the topic by demanding evidence of Zakir’s extremism while expressing hope that India will continue to play its rightful role in dealing with issues faced by minorities”
In Anwar’s contention, it is fine so long as the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and Peace TV lie low or remain inactive by refraining from making statement against either India or Malaysia
In an interview broadcast on the India Today TV channel, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman further assured that currently Zakir is not an issue that affects the current state of Malaysia-India bilateral ties, hence “so long as he doesn’t create (any) issue, we should let the matter rest”.
Although Anwar did stress that Malaysia “will not condone terrorism”, the very fact that Putrajaya has displayed tendency of wanting to make Malaysia a ‘safe haven’ for the controversial preacher may not please certain segments of Malaysians given Zakir had in the past ruffled the feathers of the non-Muslim community with his radical views.
For the record, Zakir has been evading Indian authorities since 2016 when files were opened against him for allegedly making hate speeches and laundering money after five militants launched an attack at a bakery in Dhaka, Bangladesh that ended with 29 dead.
Granted a permanent resident status in April 2016 which enables him to enter and leave Malaysia freely, Zakir’s notoriety among non-Muslim Malaysians is well-documented. Recall that more than 500 police reports have been lodged against him for a speech he gave in Kota Bahru on Aug 11, 2019.
In that speech, he claimed that Indians in Malaysia were more supportive of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi than the then Malaysian PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He also allegedly described Malaysia’s Chinese as “guests” in the country and that they should be sent back to China before he could be deported.
More recently, DAP stalwart and former Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy has filed a legal suit against Zakir for labelling him as “the biggest enemy of Islam”.
The defamation suit filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Dec 3, 2003 seeks damages, interest and other appropriate reliefs for the alleged remarks made during a speech in Nigeria.
As Malaysia is seemingly prepared to host the 58-year-old Zakir who is believed to be residing “somewhere in Putrajaya” a while longer, a netizen insisted that Anwar will never deport Zakir to India for political reasons.
“If Anwar Ibrahim deports Zakir Naik to India, his Islamist image will be tarnished,” suggested the netizen in response to a Free Malaysia Today article entitled “We Won’t Deport Zakir Naik as Long as He Keeps Quiet, Says Anwar” (Aug 22).
“Muslim countries will lose respect for him (Anwar) while muftis will defend Zakir Naik and conservative Malay Muslims will be enraged.” – Aug 24, 2024
Well, a lot of Lefties were demanding Britain ignore a legally valid official extradition request against Julian Assange.
ReplyDeleteUltimately it got settled through a compromise that involved some diplomatic Silap Mata.
Like it or not, there are usually political considerations involved in proceeding or not with extradition proceedings.
Malaysians who are worked up on this issue need to also consider this.
ReplyDeleteIndia itself is well known for making it extraordinarily difficult, complex and time-consuming for any foreign country to extradite anyone from its jurisdiction, be it an Indian national or foreign national.
That is why for many years, India has been a sanctuary for fugitive Malaysia Indians evading the law.
Countries such as USA and Singapore have leverage on this, due to the many Indians who seek visas to work in those countries. Quid Pro Quo or mutual respect as they put it.