KUALA LUMPUR – Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik will be returning to Malaysia soon after participating in several programmes in Oman.
Zakir’s lawyer, Datuk Akberdin Abdul Kader, told Harian Metro that the Islamic preacher will return to the country after finishing all his programmes there, but stopped short of divulging further details in view of the Indian national’s security.
Previously, Akberdin had informed various media outlets that Zakir was safe and well-treated in Muscat, Oman.
Zakir, he said, had also sent a message informing him that he was safe at the hotel.
“Zakir had also informed me that a report claiming that he was arrested was fake news,” he said.
Earlier, reports emerged that Zakir, who remains on India’s wanted list, arrived at Oman’s capital Muscat to deliver a series of talks last Wednesday.
Having received Malaysian permanent residency several years earlier, Zakir has since been living in Putrajaya while facing court allegations in India in relation to money laundering, supporting terrorist activities, and inciting religious tensions.
The Indian government had also sent an official request to extradite the controversial speaker in January 2018 but was subsequently rejected by the Malaysian government.
Last month, Zakir Naik alluded in the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he is still an Indian citizen with valid travel documents and is still loyal to his country of birth, following a defamation suit he had filed against former Klang MP Charles Santiago. – The Vibes, March 27, 2023
