Following the invitation to Islamic preacher Zakir Naik by Qatar to FIFA World Cup, BJP Spokesperson Savio Rodrigues today appealed to the government, Indian Football Associations and Indians traveling to the host nation to boycott the sporting event, ANI reported.
Zakir Naik, who was declared a ‘wanted man’ by India and has been living under asylum in Singapore has been invited by Qatar to deliver lectures on Islam during the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
In a statement, BJP spokesperson, Rodrigues said that giving a platform to Naik at a time when the world is battling terrorism is like giving a “terror sympathiser” to “spread hate”.
“FIFA World Cup is a global event. People from all over the world come to witness this spectacular sport and also millions watch it on TV and the internet. Giving a platform to Zakir Naik, at a time when the world is fighting global terrorism, is to give a platform to a terrorist to spread his radicalism and hate,” the BJP leader ssaid.
The BJP leader appealed to the people of the country and also the people from abroad who are victims of terrorism to boycott the World Cup event “in solidarity with the global fight against terrorism”.
Alleging that Naik has been instrumental in spreading “Islamic radicalism and hate in India”, Rodrigues said that he “is no less than a terrorist himself”.
“Zakir Naik is a wanted man under Indian law. He is charged with money-laundering crimes and hate speeches. He is a terror sympathiser. In fact, he is no less than a terrorist himself. He has openly supported terrorist Osama bin Laden and has been instrumental in spreading Islamic radicalism and hate in India,” Mr. Rodrigues added.
Earlier in March this year, Home Ministry had declared Zakir Naik-founded Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) an unlawful association and banned it for five years.
Pertinently, Zakir Naik had earlier supported the Fatwa which declared playing football as Haram (prohibited in Islam). In a 2008 Fatwa, Zakir Naik had said, ” Any competition is haraam, and it is a kind of gambling and betting which are haraam.”