Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, facing multiple inquiries over allegedly incendiary speeches, on Friday said that he has no plans of returning to India this year. "I'm an NRI and am supposed to live outside India. I do not have plans of coming back till end of this year. I have schedules outside," said Naik.
Speaking over Skype from Medina in Saudi Arabia to mediapersons assembled at a banquet hall in Mazgaon in Mumbai on Friday, the televangelist, who had cancelled his news conferences thrice citing various reasons, said he has never inspired terror activity and termed his controversial speeches "doctored" or "blown out of context", for which he has filed defamation case against 10 media houses.
He went on to ask why should he come to India. "For media trial? I can answer to allegations in a better way from where I am. I have served defamation on ten media houses. No investigating agency or officer has approached me till now," said Naik, who has been facing heat at home ever since Bangladesh notified India that a Dhaka terror attacker was allegedly his follower.
"I have again and again said that killing an innocent is like killing entire humanity. I condemn terrorism and also the attack in France though I am yet to get more information on it," said Naik as he started his conference.
On people who were part of his organisation but were questioned or youths that went missing had met him, Naik said, "I meet thousands of people and they take pictures with me. How am I supposed to know about each of them."
Naik also elaborated on some of his controversial remarks, but was vague on certain others. He stuck to his remark that women who wear western (short) clothes are more prone to attacks, compared to those wearing hijab.
When asked about one of his speeches in which he said that suicide bombing is permitted by Islam, he said, "it is haram if innocent people are being killed. But, if suicide bombing is used as a tactic of war, then it may be permitted." He also reiterated that Osama bin Laden was not a terrorist. "Quran says I should not pass on anything without verifying. I do not know Osama well enough to say that he is a terrorist or not," said Naik. He had the same to say in the case of Zakir Ur Rehman Lakhvi, Hafiz Saeed and Sadhvi Pragya Thakur.
On Satyapal Singh's inquiry report stating that he converted people, Naik said that there were questions and no one was forcefully converted or lured. He said that police officials had in fact not removed his "doctored" videos despite him complaining.
