Zakir Naik has Malaysian citizenship too: reports

Mumbai: The controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is facing charges under the anti-terror law, has a Malaysian citizenship too.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Naik is suspected to be in Malaysia now. The televangelist received Malaysian citizenship in 2013 along with the country’s highest civilian award – Tokoh Ma’al Hijrah, Naik’s representatives in Mumbai said.

“It is the state policy of Malaysia to offer citizenship to the awardees of the highest civilian honour of their land. Naik is now a Malaysian citizen too,” said a representative.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged Naik and banned his organisation Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) under section 153-A of IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), besides various sections of anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

All the bank accounts of Naik and IRF have also been blocked. The move to block his bank accounts was taken after the NIA claimed to have seized documents which showed ISIS recruit Abu Anas had received Rs 80,000 from the IRF as scholarship in October 2015, PTI had quoted its sources as saying in an earlier report.

Anas, an engineer and a resident of Tonk in Rajasthan, had quit job in a Hyderabad-based company when he was arrested by the NIA in January for allegedly planning to carry out a terror strike ahead of Republic Day.

The NIA claimed the probe into the IRF's funding and distribution of money showed that Anas, who was among 16 people arrested for ISIS links at that time, had received Rs 80,000 from IRF as scholarship.

Naik, in an open letter, called the ban on IRF an attack on "Muslims, peace, democracy and justice". He said he will pursue all legal options to get the ban repealed and that the judiciary will fail the Modi government in its 'plans'.