Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (
UrduUrdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: ذاکر عبدالکریم نالائیک; born 18 October 1965) is an Indian public speaker on the subject of
IslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and
comparative religionComparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes, myths, rituals and concepts among the world's religions...
. He is the founder and president of the
Islamic Research FoundationThe Islamic Research Foundation is a registered non-profit organization, which is based in Mumbai, India, that promotes Islamic Da’wah. The founder and President of IRF is Dr. Zakir Naik, who is a Islamic orator and preacher of Islam. The IRF Ladies' Wing was established in 1992 and is led by Dr....
(IRF), a non-profit organization that owns the
Peace TVPeace TV is a Sunni Islamic satellite television network broadcasting globally 24/7 from Dubai, UAE. Peace TV programs are all in the English language and telecast free-to-air...
channel based in
DubaiDubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, UAE. He is sometimes referred to as a televangelist. Before becoming a public speaker, he trained as a doctor. He has written booklets on Islam and comparative religion.
Biography
Zakir Abdul Karim Naik was born on 18 October 1965 in Mumbai, India. He attended St. Peter's High School in Mumbai. Later he enrolled at
Kishinchand Chellaram CollegeKishinchand Chelaram College, better known as K. C. College, in Mumbai, India is an educational institution.In addition to Science, Arts and Commerce degrees, the college offers professional and vocational courses such as Bachelor of Mass Media, B.Sc...
, before studying medicine at
Topiwala National Medical College and Nair HospitalTopiwala National Medical College is one of the foremost medical colleges situated in the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra in India. It is attached to the Bai Yamunabai Laxman Nair Charitable hospital, a 1800-bed tertiary care center...
and later the
University of MumbaiThe University of Mumbai , is a state university located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was known as the University of Bombay until 1996 when the city of Bombay was renamed as Mumbai. The affiliated colleges of the university are spread throughout the city of Mumbai and four coastal districts in...
, where he obtained a
Bachelor of Medicine and SurgeryBachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, or in Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae , are the two first professional degrees awarded upon graduation from medical school in medicine and surgery by universities in various countries...
(MBBS). His wife, Farhat Naik, works for the women's section of the IRF.
In 1991 he started working in the field of
DawahDa‘wah or Dawah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. Da‘wah literally means "issuing a summons" or "making an invitation", being the active participle of a verb meaning variously "to summon" or "to invite"...
, and founded the IRF. Naik says he was inspired by
Ahmed DeedatAhmed Hussein Deedat was a Muslim writer and public speaker of Indian South African descent. He was best known for his numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as pioneering video lectures, most of which centered around Islam, Christianity and the Bible...
, an Islamic preacher, having met him in 1987. (Naik is sometimes referred to as "Deedat plus", a label given to him by Deedat himself.) Naik says that his goal is to "concentrate on the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to feel the religion is outdated." He considers it a duty of every Muslim to remove perceived misconceptions about Islam and to counter what he views as the Western media's anti-Islamic bias in the aftermath of the
September 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
(also known as 9/11) in the United States. Some of his articles are published in magazines such as
Islamic VoiceIslamic Voice is a monthly Islamic magazine published in Bangalore. It is the largest English language Muslim publication in India. It is a comprehensive magazine, places a relatively high emphasis on social issues and strives to have a broad appeal....
.
Anthropologist
Thomas Blom HansenThomas Blom Hansen is a Danish anthropologist and leading contemporary commentator on religious and political violence in India. He has worked on religious identities, local political organization and informal networks in Bombay and pursued an interest in the anthropology of politics, the...
has written that Naik's style of memorizing the Quran and
HadithThe term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
literature in various languages, and his related missionary activity, has made him extremely popular in Muslim and non-Muslim circles. Many of his debates are recorded and widely distributed in video and DVD media and online. His talks are usually recorded in English and broadcast on weekends on several cable networks in Mumbai's Muslim neighborhoods, and on the Peace TV channel, which he co-produces. Topics he speaks on include: "Islam and Modern Science", "Islam and Christianity", and "
Islam and secularismThe idea of secularism in Islam means favoring a modern secular democracy with separation of mosque and state, as opposed to Islam as a political movement. Secularism in the Muslim countries refers to the ideology of promoting the secular as opposed to the religion. It is often used to describe...
".
Naik is the founder of the
Islamic International SchoolThe Islamic International School, Mumbai is an Islamic school in Mumbai, India. It is managed by the IRF Educational Trust. it also has a branch in Chennai and are in talks to open up a branch at Dubai as well. Admission to the school is very tough as there are tough interviews to both the parent...
in Mumbai.
Lectures and debates
Naik has held many debates and lectures around the world. One of Naik's most-cited debates was with William Campbell in
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in April 2000 on the topic of "The Qur'an and the Bible: In the Light of Science".
Naik has said that "despite the strident anti-Islam campaign, 34,000 Americans have embraced Islam from September 2001 to July 2002." He says Islam is a religion of reason and logic, and that the Quran contains 1000 verses relating to science, which he says explains the number of Western converts. A popular theme of Naik's is to demonstrate how scientific theories were prophesised by the Quran. For example, he says certain verses of the Quran accurately describe embryological development.
On 21 January 2006 Naik held an inter-religious debate with
Sri Sri Ravi ShankarRavi Shankar usually known as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, born Ravi Shankar Ratnam, born 13 May 1956) is a spiritual leader and founder of the Art of Living Foundation , which aims at relieving individual stress, societal problems and violence. It is an NGO with UNESCO consultative status...
in Bangalore about the concept of God in Islam and
HinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
.
In 2008 an Islamic scholar in
LucknowLucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, shahar qazi Mufti Abul Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali, issued a
fatwaA fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
against Naik, saying that he supported
Osama bin LadenOsama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
, and that his teachings were un-Islamic.
In February 2011 Naik addressed the
Oxford UnionThe Oxford Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Oxford Union, is a debating society in the city of Oxford, Britain, whose membership is drawn primarily but not exclusively from the University of Oxford...
via video link from India.
Peace Conference
Every year since November 2007 Naik has led a 10-day Peace Conference at Somaiya Ground, Sion, Mumbai. Lectures on Islam have been presented by Naik and twenty other
Islamic scholars.
During one of the lectures at the 2007 Peace Conference, Naik provoked anger between members of the Shia and Sunni communities, when he said the words "Radiallah ta'la anho" ("May Allah be pleased with him") after mentioning the name of
CaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Yazid IYazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya ibn Abī Sufyān , commonly known as Yazid I, was the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate . He ruled for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683 CE. Many Muslims condemn Yazid's rule as contentious and unjust...
—a figure hated by many Muslims, but particularly by Shias—and said the
battle of KarbalaThe Battle of Karbala took place on Muharram 10, in the year 61 of the Islamic calendar in Karbala, in present day Iraq. On one side of the highly uneven battle were a small group of supporters and relatives of Muhammad's grandson Husain ibn Ali, and on the other was a large military detachment...
was political. Others, however, believed the comment was blown out of proportion.
Writings
In 2007 Saudi-based Dar-us-Salam Publications published two booklets written by Naik: The Concept of God in Major Religions and The Qur'an and Modern Science: Compatible or Incompatible?
Biological evolution
Naik has said that the theory of
evolutionEvolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
is "only a hypothesis, and an unproven conjecture at best".
Visit to Australia and Wales
In 2004 Naik, at the invitation of the
Islamic Information and Services Network of AustralasiaThe Islamic Information & Services Network of Australasia is an independent Islamic organisation based in Coburg, Victoria, a suburb in Melbourne, Australia. The organisation is led by Samir Mohtadi, better known by his kunya - Abu Hamza. It is a non-profit organisation, and holds regular Islamic...
, made an appearance at Melbourne University, where he argued that only Islam gave women true equality. He said the more "revealing Western dress" makes women more susceptible to rape. Sushi Das of
The AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
commented that "Naik extolled the moral and spiritual superiority of Islam and lampooned other faiths and the West in general", further criticizing that Naik's words "fostered a spirit of separateness and reinforced prejudice".
In August 2006 Naik's visit and conference in
CardiffCardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
caused controversy when Welsh
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
David DaviesDavid Clifford Davies, commonly known as Dai Davies, was the Blaenau Gwent People's Voice Member of Parliament for the Blaenau Gwent constituency in South Wales from 2006 to 2010...
called for his appearance to be cancelled. He said Naik was a "hate-monger", and that his views did not deserve a public platform; Muslims from Cardiff, however, defended Naik's right to speak in the city. Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that "people who know about him (Naik) know that he is one of the most uncontroversial persons you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions, and how should we work on the common ground between them", whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views.
Views on apostasy
Naik has said that any Muslim is free to
convert from IslamApostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
if the person so chooses, but added that if a Muslim converts and then speaks against Islam it should be considered treason. Naik stated that under Islamic law this is punishable by death.
Views on terrorism
Naik's views and statements on terrorism have at times been criticised in the media. In a YouTube video, speaking of Osama bin Laden, Naik said that he would not criticise bin Laden because he had not met him and did not know him personally. He added that, "If bin Laden is fighting enemies of Islam, I am for him," and that "If he is terrorizing America — the terrorist, biggest terrorist — I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist."
In 2010, he said he had been quoted out of context regarding these remarks on
terrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. "As far as terrorist is concerned," he said, "I tell the Muslims that every Muslim should be a terrorist. ... What is the meaning of the word terrorist? Terrorist by definition means a person who terrorises. So in this context every Muslim should be a terrorist to each and every anti-social element. I’m aware that terrorist is more commonly used for a person who terrorises innocent human beings. So in this context no Muslim should ever terrorise a single innocent human being."
In a subsequent interview with
TimeTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, he later said: "I have always condemned terrorism, because according to the glorious Koran, if you kill one innocent person, then you have killed the whole of humanity" referring to Qur'an 5:32.
In a lecture delivered on 31 July 2008 on Peace TV, Naik said, regarding the September 11 attacks: "it is a blatant, open secret that this attack on the Twin Towers was done by George Bush himself",referring to various
9/11 conspiracy theories9/11 conspiracy theories are theories that disagree with the widely accepted account that the September 11 attacks were perpetrated solely by al-Qaeda. These theories arose because of what proponents of the conspiracy theories believe to be inconsistencies in the official conclusions or some...
to give the United States reason to attack and control oil-rich countries.
2010 exclusion from the UK and Canada
Naik was denied entry into the United Kingdom and Canada in June 2010. He was banned from entering the UK by
Home SecretaryThe Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Theresa MayTheresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
after arranging to give talks in London and Sheffield. May said of the exclusion order, "Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behavior". Naik argued that the Home Secretary was making a political decision and not a legal one, and his lawyer said the decision was "barbaric and inhuman". He also claimed that his comments were taken out of context. Film producer
Mahesh BhattMahesh Bhatt , is a prominent Indian film director, producer and screenwriter.Bhatt's early directional career consisted of acclaimed films, such as Arth, Saaransh, Janam, Naam and Zakhm....
supported Naik, saying the ban constituted an attack on
freedom of speechFreedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. It was reported that Naik would attempt to challenge the ruling in the
High CourtThe term High Court usually refers to the superior court of a country or state. In some countries, it is the highest court . In others, it is positioned lower in the hierarchy of courts The term High Court usually refers to the superior court (or supreme court) of a country or state. In some...
. His application for judicial review was dismissed on 5 November 2010. Naik was forbidden from entering Canada after
Tarek FatahTarek Fatah Urdu: طارق فتح is a Canadian political activist, writer, and broadcaster. He is the author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State published by John Wiley & Sons. In the book Fatah challenges the notion that the establishment of an Islamic state is a necessary...
, founder of
Muslim Canadian CongressThe Muslim Canadian Congress was organized to provide a voice to Muslims who support a "progressive, liberal, pluralistic, democratic, and secular society where everyone has the freedom of religion." The organization claimed to have 300 dues-paying members prior to its 2006 split.-Origins:It was...
, warned MPs of Naik's views.
Reception
Naik was ranked 89 on
The Indian ExpressThe Indian Express is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. It is published in Mumbai by Indian Express Group. After Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split in 1999 among his family members into two with the southern editions taking the name The New Indian Express, while the old...
s list of the "100 Most Powerful Indians in 2010". He was ranked 82 in the 2009 edition. According to
Praveen SwamiPraveen Swami is Diplomatic Editor of The Daily Telegraph, London, and writes on international strategic and security issues. He was earlier Associate Editor of The Hindu, for which he reported on the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, the Maoist insurgency in India, and Islamist groups.-Career:He...
, Naik is "perhaps the most influential
SalafiA Salafi come from Sunni Islam is a follower of an Islamic movement, Salafiyyah, that is supposed to take the Salaf who lived during the patristic period of early Islam as model examples...
ideologue in India".
Sanjiv ButtooSanjiv Buttoo is a Senior Broadcast Journalist working for BBC News. He is the North of England Reporter for the BBC Asian Network. Sanjiv has worked for BBC Radio Leeds, BBC Radio Lancashire, has been head of Asian Programmes for BBC North West and has worked for the BBC's Investigation Unit...
says he is acknowledged as an authority on Islam, but is known for making negative remarks about other religions.
Sadanand DhumeSadanand Dhume is an Indian writer and journalist based in Washington, D.C. who writes on Asian affairs. He is the author of My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist, a travel narrative about the rise of fundamentalism in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country.Between...
writes that Naik has a "carefully crafted image of moderation", because of his gentle demeanor, his wearing of a suit and tie, and his quoting of scriptures of other religions.
Criticism
Khushwant SinghKhushwant Singh is a prominent Indian novelist and journalist. Singh's weekly column, "With Malice towards One and All", carried by several Indian newspapers, is among the most widely-read columns in the country....
, a prominent Indian journalist, politician, and author, says he "disagree[s] with almost everything [Naik] has to say about misconceptions about Islam". Singh argues that Naik's pronouncements are "juvenile", and said "they seldom rise above the level of undergraduate college debates, where contestants vie with each other to score brownie points". Singh also says Naik's audiences "listen to him with rapt attention and often explode in enthusiastic applause when he rubbishes other religious texts".
Yoginder SikandYoginder Sikand is an Indian writer-academic and the author of several books on Islam-related issues in India.-Early life and education:...
wrote in 2011 that influential sections of the
DeobandiDeobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
community in India were beginning to hold a negative view of Naik. They said he was not abiding by
ijma Ijmāʿ is an Arabic term referring to the consensus of the Muslim community. Various schools of thought within Islamic jurisprudence may define this consensus as that of the first generation of Muslims only; the consensus of the first three generations of Muslims; the consensus of the jurists...
(Islamic consensus) and
qiyasIn Islamic jurisprudence, qiyās is the process of deductive analogy in which the teachings of the Hadith are compared and contrasted with those of the Qur'an, in order to apply a known injunction to a new circumstance and create a new injunction...
(analogical deduction of the Quran and Hadith), and therefore, in Sikand's view, was undermining their authority.
External links