The central government is planning to ban mobile app of Islamist preacher Zakir Naik for inciting religious hatred. As per the report submitted by Intelligence Bureau (IB) to the Home Ministry, Naik’s app and social media handles are engaged in anti-India activities and are indulged in recruiting and radicalising Muslim youths.
The report said that Zakir Naik’s organisation has links with Jihadi groups and that it receives funding from Arab countries for furthering the Jihadi propaganda in India.
Top officials of the IB and the NIA held a meeting at the Home Ministry office in Delhi in which it was discussed whether hate speech videos posted by Naik posed threat to communal harmony in the country.
A fine of Rs 2.75 crore was imposed on Naik’s channels Peace TV and Peace TV Urdu in the UK by UK media watchdog Ofcom for broadcasting hate speech and repeatedly inciting violence through his channels. Zakir Naik is wanted in India for money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speeches. His name is included in the NIA’s most-wanted list.
Last year, he had launched a mobile application called the free Peace TV App that had over 1 lakh downloads on Google Play Store. The app has round the clock telecast in four languages, English, Urdu, Bangla and Chinese. Through this app, Naik’s TV channel is broadcast across India despite being banned and has an age rating of 3+. His app is also banned in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
NIA Booked Zakir Naik in Love Jihad Case
Recently, the NIA had booked Naik in a case of love jihad involving the daughter of a Chennai-based businessman and the son of a top politician of Bangladesh belonging to the political party of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Two other radical preachers from Pakistan were also book by the central agency in the same case.
Recently, the absconding Islamist preacher had uploaded a video in which he asked the Muslims in India to take jobs in IAS/IPS only if they were “bold” enough to protect Muslims and Islam.
