LUCKNOW: A fatwa (edict) against well-known Islamic scholar Zakir Naik by a respected cleric here has divided the community.
The scholar has been charged with supporting al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden. The fatwa says his teachings are un-Islamic and contradict the Koran.
Naik, however, says he has been misquoted. “My speeches are being quoted out of context... I am being targeted by people with vested interests,” he told reporters.
Lucknow’s shahar qazi Mufti Abul Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali described Naik as a kafir (agnostic) in his fatwa, which states he should be ex-communicated from Islam.
“Zakir Naik is not an Islamic scholar. His teachings are against the Koran. In his speeches, he insults Allah and glorifies Yazeed, the killer of Imam Hussain,” Irfan told reporters. He said Naik had supported Laden and called upon all Muslims to become terrorists.
Noted Shia cleric Kalbe Jawwad told DNA: “Naik is bringing a bad name to Muslims. Such people should be condemned and socially boycotted.” He said Naik was being financed by the Wahabi sect that allegedly perpetrates violence in the name of religion.
“There should be an inquiry into how he is running a TV channel on his own. Where is he getting the funds from?” Jawwad said.
“Naik has just mugged up some verses from the Koran and pretends to be an Islamic scholar,” Lucknow’s Naib Imam Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali said.
However, Naik defends himself saying he had never supported Laden or glorified Yazeed. “People quote a certain part of my speech without referring to the context in which I said it,” he said. “I have said Muslims should become terrorists in the sense that they should strike terror in the hearts of criminals and anti-socials.”
“Such fatwas mean nothing. They should also issue fatwas against Imam Bukhari. Some clerics who have limited understanding of Islam are doing these things. It doesn’t affect me.”
On the other hand, Naik has got support from the All-India Sunni Board and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Foundation. “Naik is a respected scholar and he is trying to open the eyes of not only Muslims but people from all religions about the way the world sees Islam,” a board representative said.
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