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India cancels passport of controversial preacher

KUALA LUMPUR — Controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s (picture) passport has been cancelled by India, rendering him stateless, say Indian media reports.

Controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s passport has been cancelled by India, rendering him stateless, say Indian media reports.

Controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s passport has been cancelled by India, rendering him stateless, say Indian media reports.

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KUALA LUMPUR — Controversial Muslim preacher Dr Zakir Naik’s (picture) passport has been cancelled by India, rendering him stateless, say Indian media reports.

The Times of India reported yesterday that the Mumbai regional passport office revoked Dr Zakir’s passport based on recommendations from India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which previously registered a criminal court case against him for alleged links to terrorism activities.

The report said that Dr Zakir left India on May 13 last year and failed to participate in the NIA’s investigation into his speeches that allegedly incited acts of terror. The report added that the NIA asked for the revocation of the preacher’s passport after he failed to reply to several notices seeking his participation in the investigation.

The NIA reportedly notified India’s Home Ministry on June 23 that three notices dated Feb 28, March 15 and March 31 were issued to Dr Zakir, and that a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued on April 21 because of his failure to cooperate. The agency then wrote to the Mumbai regional passport office on June 29 to ask for the passport to be revoked due to Dr Zakir’s non-cooperation in the probe. The passport office also wrote to Dr Zakir on July 3 to ask him to show up within 10 days and submit his passport.

In a report by The Hindu newspaper, NIA officials said Dr Zakir’s passport was revoked on Tuesday after the preacher failed to respond to the notice for him to appear at the regional passport office. The passport issued last January to the then Indian national was valid for 10 years.

Dr Zakir, who is a fugitive in India, allegedly fled to Saudi Arabia after the Indian authorities started investigating him and his non-governmental organisation, the Islamic Research Foundation, for alleged terror propaganda. The Indian authorities are also mulling over terror charges against the 51-year-old preacher, reportedly based on the testimonies of about 50 terror suspects and convicts recorded from various jails, with those caught citing the medical doctor by training as their source of inspiration.

Dr Zakir has previously voiced support for Al Qaeda jihadists and Osama bin Laden and, in a 2006 lecture, he called for “every Muslim to be a terrorist”.

However, Dr Zakir has denied allegations that he is a terrorist and said he is ready to go to court, provided it is at an international or Malaysian court, to prove his innocence.

The the United Kingdom and Canada have banned the salafist preacher from enetring the country because of his inflammatory speeches.

Despite being a fugitive in India, Dr Zakir has been travelling in and out of Malaysia giving religious speeches.

Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed in April that the cleric has had permanent residence status in Malaysia for five years. He has been welcomed by some senior clerics in Malaysia, and met Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak last year.

His lectures on religion in Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu and Malacca last year sparked an uproar from various quarters, including the ruling Barisan Nasional component parties, after the authorities and the government allowed the preacher to continue with his speaking engagements.

Dr Zakir was conferred honorary membership in Malay rights organisation Perkasa on April 16.

He is also a central figure in a March 1 civil lawsuit filed by 19 Malaysian human rights activists against the federal government, which it accused of failing to protect the country from Dr Zakir, who they claim to be a security threat.

Dr Zakir was supposed to be a guest at a regional conference for Muslim scholars organised by opposition Parti Islam Se-Malaysia today, but organisers said on Tuesday that he could not attend the event. AGENCIES

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