On Saturday (12th October), Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate lashed out at Islamic hate preacher Zakir Naik over his sexually predatory remarks about female anchors.
In a tweet, Shrinate said, “Such disgusting, heinous thoughts… The only sick guy here is him.” She had reacted to a recent disparaging comment made by Zakir Naik about women working as anchors.
It must be mentioned that before joining the Congress party, Supriya Shrinate worked as a ‘journalist’ for 17 years. She also served in the capacity of a ‘news anchor’ with ET Now.
During a recent media interaction in Pakistan, Zakir Naik actively discouraged women from pursuing professions that mandate them to appear before the camera.
He claimed that by doing so, women were making themselves susceptible to the lust of men. “If men don’t feel lust by seeing a female anchor, then, he is not medically fit,” the Islamic hate preacher stated.
“If you don’t feel lust after seeing a girl for 20 mins, then, you are not medically fit,” Zakir Naik claimed while invoking verses from the Quran.
او تیری
— Sʏᴇᴅ Aᴏᴏɴ Sʜᴇʀᴀᴢɪ (@Aoon_Syed) October 11, 2024
ٹی وی پر اگر آپ خاتون نیوز کاسٹر کو 20 منٹ تک دیکھتے ہیں اور آپ کے اندر ہلچل ہیدا نہیں ہوتی تو آپ میڈیکلی بیمار ہیں،فرمان جناب ذاکر نائیک
ہن دسو pic.twitter.com/57uGobwOCW
The Islamic preacher had recently drawn the ire of prominent Pakistanis for labelling unmarried, independent women as ‘Bazari aurat.’
The criticism of Zakir Naik by Supriya Shrinate must not be mistaken as an official Congress stance, despite her being the national spokesperson of the grand-old party. It is at best her personal stance, given his specific targeting of her previous occupation.
No other Congress politician has squeaked a single word against Zakir Naik despite his sexually predatory remarks. In fact, the party had never officially denounced the hate preacher.
Digvijay singh praising Zakir naik 🤡 pic.twitter.com/TLU1qvVB6P
— Tweet Chor👑 (@Pagal_aurat) November 3, 2023
To add to it, a veteran party leader like Digvijaya Singh was hailing Zakir Naik as a ‘messiah of peace’ not long ago.
He stated, “Assalam Walekum. I had heard a lot about Dr Zakir Naik. I finally got the opportunity to meet him. I am happy that he is spreading the message of peace throughout the world.”
Singh had claimed during his 2012 speech, “Dr Zakir Naik has read books of all religions. It is now necessary that your message of peace reaches every nook and corner of India.”
Congress, Zakir Naik and an insidious connection
While it is true that the Islamic hate preacher wasn’t declared a fugitive then, his incendiary speeches targeting Hinduism, supporting Islamism and rationalising extremism were available online.
This did not deter Digvijaya Singh, who hails from a party with a long history of Muslim appeasement, from singing eulogies in praise of Zakir Naik.
It may come as a surprise to many that Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) have a long-standing association.
IRF has donated Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh to RDCT on two separate occasions. And the trustees of RDCT happen to be Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.
