[Reader-list] The Trouble with Dr. Zakir Naik

[Kshmendra Kaul]

Dear Yousuf
 
I too am surprised why the debate about Zakir Nak has come so late on Sarai (Reader List). 
 
On this occasion too, it has been only a couple of people, somewhat indirectly, though all too transparently seeking to defend Zakir Naik and/or acting as apologists for him in connection with his statements that led to his being barred from UK.
 
I guess it is because Sarai (Reader List) teems with "secular intelligensia" who are selective about who and what to constantly make the topic of discussions.
 
The phrase "secular intelligensia" is not what I called anyone out of the blue. It was used by Sadanand Dhume in his article for WSJ (which Pawan posted) and of which you have provided a weblink (as featured in New Age Islam). I was quoting from his article. 
 
In fact Dhume uses the more apt phrase of "purportedly secular intelligentsia". 
 
It would be good if what you say is correct, that "there is a growing number of Muslims who have started hating Zakir Naik." 
 
But why hate him? There is not much he says that has not already been said before. (I will not amplify on that)
 
Those who do hate him with a passion and would have unmentionables done to him are the Shia Muslims because of the reverence Zakir Naik showed towards Yazeed. (You too have furnished a reference for that). 
 
With Zakir Naik's comments on  any kind of "vaseela" being Un-Islamic he has of course upset those who believe Intercession by Mohammed is a given and those who pray for Intercession at Dargahs. So, Zakir Naik is increasingly seen as a Salafi (contemptuously called Wahabi.)
 
Some are thus torn between loving Naik for his comments on Yazeed and reviling him for his Salafi attitude towards Intercession.     
 
What Zakir Naik is most admired for (in India and Pakistan for sure) is his discourses on how the "Hindu" scriptures foretold the coming of Mohammed. Therein lies the suggestion that now that the final 'deen' Islam has been given to humanity, the Hindus should join the fold of the 'coming' of the one revealed in their own scriptures.
 
(An interesting sideline to that is that it has been claimed that Zakir Naik has plagiarised from a book “Muhammad in World Scriptures” by Maulana Abdul Haque Vidyarthi written in 1936.)
 
I do not think that there has been any marked diminishment in the reach of and audience for Zakir Naik.
 
Dhume puts it appropiately "But it's impossible to relegate Dr. Naik to Indian Islam's fringe."
 
I repeat the quotes (that I had earlier posted) from Dhume's excellent article:
 
- "Unlike traditional clerics, Dr. Naik quotes freely from non-Muslim scripture, including
the Bible and the Vedas. (You have to pay attention to realize that invariably this is either to disparage other faiths, or to interpret them in line with his version of Islam.)" 
 
- "Finally, unlike Hindu bigots, such as the World Hindu Council's Praveen Togadia, whose fiercest critics tend to be fellow Hindus, radical Muslims go largely unchallenged."
 
- "Moreover, most of India's purportedly secular intelligentsia remains loath to criticize Islam, even in its most radical form, lest this be interpreted as sympathy for Hindu nationalism."

- "Unless this changes, unless Indians find the ability to criticize a radical Islamic preacher such as Dr. Naik as robustly as they would his Hindu equivalent, the idea of Indian secularism will remain deeply flawed."
 
 
Kshmendra
 

--- On Tue, 6/22/10, Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com> wrote:


From: Yousuf <ysaeed7 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] The Trouble with Dr. Zakir Naik
To: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 8:01 PM


Dear Kshmendra and Pawan
I am surpised that the debate about Zakir Naik has come so late on Sarai. There are enough people among what you call "secular intelligensia" and many more among Muslims who have criticized Naik and his channel. Although there are enough people who watch (and believe) him intently, but there is a growing number of Muslims who have started hating Zakir Naik. I am giving below some references that might provide some insight. Since these are from a research report I was working on, they have this sort of appearance.

Burney, Shahid Raza, 'Zakir Naik’s Remarks on Yazid Spark Anger Among Muslims', Arab News, 31 December 2007

Bhat, Javaid Iqbal, 'The problem of being Naik', The Daily Rising Kashmir, http://www.risingkashmir.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=21580 (accessed January 2010)

M. Hasan and Sweta Ramanujan-Dixit, ‘Why do Muslims hate Dr Zakir Naik?’, The Hindustan Times, Lucknow/Mumbai, November 09, 2008

Ahmed, Khaled, 'Second opinion: Zakir Naik’s ‘reverse orientalism’'(Khaled Ahmed’s TV Review), Daily Times, December 16, 2003, Karachi/Lahore

Rahman, A. Faizur, 'Questioning the “vision” behind Zakir Naik’s “Peace”,' in TwoCircles.net (http://www.twocircles.net)

Dhume, Sadanad, The Trouble with Dr. Zakir Naik
http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=3025


Thanks

Yousuf





      
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