Conservative Attack on Dr. Zakir Naik

Just came across this news story, it looks like Dr Zakir Naik is on the hit list of censorship. Dr Zakir Naik is well known for his interfaith dialogue. It’s just saddening to see David Davies to start a crusade against one of the most renowned scholars of Islam.

TOP THREE PARTIES AT A GLANCE
Conservative		46.9%
Labour		37.0%
Liberal Democrat		12.8%
Swing: 5.4% from LAB to CON

Very strong chance of getting him out of Conservative Party and into the BNP Party…

Storm over Islamic preacher’s visit

Martin Shipton, Western Mail

A POLITICAL storm blew up last night as it emerged a controversial Islamic preacher with radical views is due to speak at one of the most prestigious concert halls in Wales.

Dr Zakir Naik’s publicly-expressed views include calling for the execution of Muslims who reject their faith and portraying Americans as people who eat and behave like pigs.

His scheduled appearance at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall this Saturday has provoked outrage from a Welsh MP who has urged the event be cancelled, particularly at a time of such international tension.

But the organiser of the education conference at which the preacher will be speaking said he was headlining the event “to put bums on seats”.

Dr Naik, 40, is an Indian medical doctor who has a reputation as a radical preacher. He is the founder and leader of an organisation called the Islamic Research Foundation, based in Mumbai.

Monmouth MP and AM David Davies said, “Cardiff County Council ought to step in immediately to prevent this hate-monger from having a platform for his obnoxious views. If a British Nazi party wanted to promulgate the annihilation of ethnic minorities, I can’t imagine they would be given a public platform. Here is a man who believes people who change their religious beliefs should face the death penalty. Some of the rest of his views are, I think, arguably in breach of various laws aimed at keeping public order.

“The vast majority of moderate British Muslims will, I am sure, find his views as appalling as I do. Mainstream Muslims need people to help them stand up against the kind of repression this man seeks to promote, especially Muslim women.”

On Saturday, Dr Naik is the headline speaker at a conference called Educating the Educators, organised by the Al-Khair Foundation, an Islamic educational body that runs a school in Croydon, London. During the conference – tickets for which are on sale at £15 for adults and £10 for children – funds will be raised for a local Islamic school.

A Cardiff Council spokesperson said, “This event was booked as part of a UK-wide tour which aims to raise the consciousness of the Muslim community about the importance of education. The council has made further inquiries into the nature of the conference and as things stand we find no reason to suspect that it will be used as a platform to espouse extremist views. The council is also satisfied that it will not constitute a threat to public security, but we will continue to monitor the situation with South Wales Police.

“This event has already been held at two other major venues across Britain with no problems and we have no reason to suspect that things should be any different in Cardiff.

“Cardiff Council attaches great importance to fostering good relations with the Muslim community in Cardiff. All the tickets have been sold within the Muslim community, including the Muslim Council for Wales, and we hope that this event will lend itself to constructive debate on the important issue of education.”

Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, disputed any claims that Dr Naik held extremist views.

“I don’t think he has said anything contradictory to our faith. He has a very good knowledge of the Bible, Koran and other religions.”

Mr Kidwai said that Dr Naik was a highly regarded scholar, considered by many Muslims to be an authority on other faiths.

Asked if he was considered an extremist, Mr Kidwai said, “Not at all. If you read his words or watch his DVDs, he explains the similarities between Islam and Christianity, between Islam and Judaism, between Islam and Hinduism. He understands them very well and is very much in favour of bringing people of different faiths together.”