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Revision as of 11:46, 3 July 2008 view sourceRegenerateThis (talk | contribs)Rollbackers1,692 editsm →Lectures and visits: The question was specifically about Saudi Arabia← Previous edit Revision as of 11:50, 3 July 2008 view source RegenerateThis (talk | contribs)Rollbackers1,692 edits →Lectures and visits: Actually I'm not happy with this one. No provenance for the piece, and it's mentioned only in an op ed. No reliable source.Next edit →
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In August 2006, Naik's visit and conference in ] (UK) were the object of controversy when Welsh MP ] called for his appearance to be cancelled and described him as a 'hate-monger'; muslims from Cardiff however defended Naik's right to speak in their city. Saleem Kidwai, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that ''"people who know about him (Naik) know he is one of the most uncontroversial people you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions and how we should work on the common ground between them"'' whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, with more than 1,000 people attending it after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Naik provoked anger amongst the ] community at the Peace Conference organized by IRF in Mumbai during November 2007, when he mentioned the words ''“Radiallah ta'la anho”'' (meaning 'May Allah be pleased with him') after mentioning the name of ], though others believed the comment was blown out of proportion.<ref></ref> In August 2006, Naik's visit and conference in ] (UK) were the object of controversy when Welsh MP ] called for his appearance to be cancelled and described him as a 'hate-monger'; muslims from Cardiff however defended Naik's right to speak in their city. Saleem Kidwai, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that ''"people who know about him (Naik) know he is one of the most uncontroversial people you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions and how we should work on the common ground between them"'' whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, with more than 1,000 people attending it after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views.<ref></ref><ref></ref> Naik provoked anger amongst the ] community at the Peace Conference organized by IRF in Mumbai during November 2007, when he mentioned the words ''“Radiallah ta'la anho”'' (meaning 'May Allah be pleased with him') after mentioning the name of ], though others believed the comment was blown out of proportion.<ref></ref>

During an interview he was asked why non-Muslims were not allowed to preach their religion in ]. Naik quoted verse 3:85 from the ] and said that "...as far as the matters of religion are concerned we know for sure that only Islam is the true religion in the eyes of God. In Qur'an 3:85 it is mentioned that God will never accept any religion other than Islam. As far as the second question regarding building of churches or temples is concerned, how can we allow this when their religion is wrong and when their worshipping is wrong? Therefore, we will not allow such wrong things in our Islamic country."<ref>,op ed by Sudheendra Kulkarni, ], April 1, 2007</ref>


==References== ==References==

Revision as of 11:50, 3 July 2008

Zakir Naik
RegionIslamic Preacher
SchoolIslam
Main interestsIslamic Dawah
Websitewww.irf.net

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (Arabic: زاكر نايك) (born: October 18, 1965) is an Indian public speaker, and writer on the subject of Islam and comparative religion. By profession, he is a medical doctor, attaining a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from Maharashtra, but since 1991 he has focused only on preaching Islam.

Zakir Naik is also the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) —a non-profit organization that owns and broadcasts the free-to-air TV channel network Peace TV from Mumbai, India and he is also the founder of the Islamic International School in Mumbai, India.

Biography

Zakir Naik was born on October 18, 1965 in Mumbai, India. He is of Konkani descent.His first educational institution was St. Peter's High School (ICSE) situated in Mumbai. After he joined Kishinchand Chellaram College in the same city. After his higher secondary degree he studied medicine at Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital in Mumbai. He completed his MBBS degree from University of Mumbai. In 1991 he gave up his activity as a physician and started working for Dawah or proselytizing of Islam. Naik says he was inspired by Muslim Scholar Ahmed Deedat. According to Naik, the goal is to "concentrate on the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to feel that their own religion is outdated."

Lectures and visits

Thomas Blom Hansen, a sociologist at the University of Edinburgh, has written Naik's style of memorizing the Qur'an and hadith literature in various languages, and travelling abroad to debate Islam with theologians, has made him extremely popular in Muslim circles. Although he usually speaks to audiences of several hundreds, it is the videotapes of his talks which are widely distributed. His talks are usually recorded in English, to be broadcast at weekends on several cable networks in Mumbai's Muslim neighborhoods, and on the channel Peace TV, which he co-promotes. Topics he speaks on include: "Islam and Modern Science", "Islam and Christianity", and "Islam and secularism", among others. He is the president of the Islamic Research Foundation, which he founded.

Besides delivering numerous public talks in India, Naik has delivered more than 1000 public talks in various other countries. A selection of his speeches can be found uploaded by internet users on sites like YouTube. He has also authored several books on Islam and Comparative religion as well as those directed towards removing what he considers to be misconceptions about Islam and the Qur'an. Most Common Questions asked by Non Muslims about Islam (also a book now) and Most Common Questions asked by Non-Muslims who have some knowledge of Islam are two articles authored by Naik on similar themes and are hosted on IRF's official website. His articles are also frequently published in Indian newspapers like the Islamic Voice as well as on Peace TV's official website PeaceTV.tv

In 2004 Naik visited New Zealand and then Australian capitals at the invitation of Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia. In his conference in Melbourne, according to journalist Sushi Das, "Naik extolled the moral and spiritual superiority of Islam and lampooned other faiths and the West in general," adding that Naik's words "fostered a spirit of separateness and reinforced prejudice." Journalist Khushwant Singh believes similarly, and claims that Naik's pronouncements are 'juvenile', saying that "they seldom rise above the level of undergraduate college debates" Political Analyst Khaled Ahmed considers that Zakir Naik, by his claims of Islam's superiority over other religious faiths, practices what he calls "reverse Orientalism."

In August 2006, Naik's visit and conference in Cardiff (UK) were the object of controversy when Welsh MP David Davies called for his appearance to be cancelled and described him as a 'hate-monger'; muslims from Cardiff however defended Naik's right to speak in their city. Saleem Kidwai, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that "people who know about him (Naik) know he is one of the most uncontroversial people you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions and how we should work on the common ground between them" whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, with more than 1,000 people attending it after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views. Naik provoked anger amongst the Shia community at the Peace Conference organized by IRF in Mumbai during November 2007, when he mentioned the words “Radiallah ta'la anho” (meaning 'May Allah be pleased with him') after mentioning the name of Yazid I, though others believed the comment was blown out of proportion.

References

  1. ^ Islamic Research Foundation - Introduction (Dr. Zakir Naik)
  2. http://www.tungekar.com/zakirnaik.html
  3. http://drzakirnaik.com/Home/AboutMe/tabid/54/Default.aspx - Biography from the website of Zakir Naik constructed by his students.
  4. Spreading God’s Word Is His Mission - Arab News
  5. ^ Hansen, Thomas (2001). Wages of Violence: Naming and Identity in Postcolonial Bombay. Princeton University Press. p. 177. ISBN 0-691-08840-3.
  6. ^ Mazumdar, Sudip (2006-01-23). "Beaming In Salvation". Newsweek International. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  7. Syed Neaz Ahmad (February 23, 2007). "Peace TV Reaching 50 Million Viewers – Dr. Zakir Naik". Saudi Gazette. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
  8. QUR'ÂN AND MODERN SCIENCE - Compatible Or Incompatible on IRF.net
  9. Qur'an and Modern Science - by Dr. Zakir Naik
  10. Qur'an and Modern Science - Online Version
  11. Most Common Questions asked by Non Muslims about Islam - by Dr. Zakir Naik
  12. List of Books Authored by Dr. Zakir Naik
  13. Most Common Questions asked by Non-Muslims who have some knowledge of Islam - by Dr. Zakir Naik
  14. Most Common Questions asked by Non Muslims about Islam by Dr. Zakir Naik
  15. Most Common Questions asked by Non-Muslims who have some knowledge of Islam] by Dr. Zakir Naik
  16. Prohibition of Alcohol in Islam - Islamic Voice
  17. Was Islam Spread by the Sword? - by Dr. Zakir Naik
  18. Are Ram And Krishna Prophets Of God? - Islamic Voice
  19. http://www.peacetv.tv/faq01.php
  20. http://www.peacetv.tv/faq02.php
  21. Queries on Islam - by Dr. Zakir Naik
  22. "Scholar clears the air about Islam 'labels'" (PDF). Te Waha Nui. September 6, 2004. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  23. "Between two worlds". The Age. July 28, 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  24. Why Muslims lag behind - Khushwant Singh; retrieved Dec 26, 2007
  25. One man’s belief is another’s shackle - Khushwant Singh
  26. "Second opinion: Zakir Naik's 'reverse orientalism' —Khaled Ahmed's TV Review". Daily Times. December 16, 2003. Retrieved 2007-05-20.
  28. Cleric's address hailed a success
  29. Dr. Zakir Naik’s Remarks on Yazid Spark Anger Among Muslims

External links

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