My reply to Times Now, India, on the Zakir Naik issue
The Malaysian government should arrest those Chinese and Indians who are exploiting the Dr Zakir non-issue to trigger racial and religious unrest to distract Malaysians from the fact that after 15 months the Pakatan Harapan government has proven to be a disaster.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Hi sir great to hear from you. Thank you for the prompt reply.
We at Times Now have been extensively reporting on the issue of Dr Zakir Naik and the unrest he has caused in Malaysia. Currently I am in Malaysia and I would like to record your views on this matter.
If it is possible, can you kindly record your answers in a video format and share it with us. So that we can report your views on our channel.
Questions:
1) What kind of damage Zakir Naik has caused to Malaysia’s communal harmony by making racist remarks on Chinese and Indian’s?
2) Why is the Malaysian government turning a deaf ear to the demands calling for his deportation?
3) What do you think that the Malaysian government do in order to deal with the controversy stroked by Zakir Naik?
If you can share the video of you answering these questions, it would be great to have it as part of our show.
Regards
Shabbir Ahmed
Deputy News Editor, Times Now, India
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I’m afraid I would not be able to video-record my response to your questions because I do not quite like the way you have framed your questions. Clearly you are biased and either you have been misinformed about what is really happening in Malaysia or you are intentionally trying to distort events.
You start off by saying “…the issue of Dr Zakir Naik and the unrest he has caused in Malaysia”. What do you mean by ‘unrest’? Are you suggesting what is happening in Malaysia is the same unrest that India is triggering in Kashmir by provoking Pakistan into starting a war mainly to further your Prime Minister’s Hindu agenda?
No, there is no unrest in Malaysia. What we DO have is a group of Hindus who have accused Dr Zakir Naik of saying what he did not say.
Regarding your first question, Dr Zakir has NOT caused any damage to Malaysia’s communal harmony by making racist remarks on Chinese and Indians, as you suggest. Race relations between Malays and non-Malays has never been cordial ever since the 1800s when wars between different groups of Malays and Chinese erupted. That was the reason the British stepped in to take control of the country: to stop the many incidences of civil unrest (which the history books refer to as ‘British intervention in the Malay States’).
The only reason Malays and non-Malays did not kill each other like in 1969 is because Malaysia had the Internal Security Act (ISA) that allowed detention without trial. So people were very careful with what they said and did lest they get detained like during the Operasi Lalang in 1987. Today, since there is no more ISA, the non-Malays have become very bold because they no longer fear arrest.
If you have watched the video of Dr Zakir’s talk in Kota Bharu, there is nothing he said which is wrong, seditious or racist in nature. And what he said was the absolute truth.
The Indian Prime Minister’s Hindu agenda in Kashmir
The Indian Prime Minister wants Dr Zakir extradited back to India while the Malaysian Prime Minister refuses to do so. The Pakatan Harapan Chinese and Indians have sided with India’s Prime Minister and oppose the decision by the Malaysian Prime Minister. And Dr Zakir mentioned this. So what is so wrong with what he said? Is this not true?
Your second question, again, shows bias. What deaf ear? Why is the Malaysian government turning a deaf ear to the demands calling for the extradition of Ananda Krishnan? Why is the Australian government turning a deaf ear calling for the extradition of Sirul Azhar Umar?
The Malaysian government tried to extradite me back to Malaysia as well back in 2009 but the British government also ‘turned a deaf ear’, even though I held a Malaysian passport and not a British passport. It would also be the same if Anwar Ibrahim sought refuge in the UK and the Malaysian government tried to extradite him back to Malaysia for the crime of sodomy, even though he holds a Malaysian passport.
Dr Zakir just told the truth regarding India’s attempt to extradite him
The first requirement in any extradition action is dual criminality. That means the so-called crime you have been accused of is a crime in both countries. India would need to go to a Malaysian court and prove to the judge that Dr Zakir committed a crime in India that is also a crime in Malaysia (such as rape, murder, bank robbery etc.). Has the Indian government done this?
Regarding your third question — ‘What do you think that the Malaysian government do in order to deal with the controversy stroked by Zakir Naik?’ — my reply is: the Malaysian government should arrest those Chinese and Indians who are exploiting the Dr Zakir non-issue to trigger racial and religious unrest to distract Malaysians from the fact that after 15 months the Pakatan Harapan government has proven to be a disaster.
Anyway, the fact you said “controversy stroked by Zakir Naik” shows you have pronounced him guilty of racism even before you receive my reply. So why should I bother to convince you otherwise?
