Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, has slapped a Rs 500-crore defamation case against Times Now for running a “hate campaign” and “media trial” against him. In the notice, issued by Naik’s lawyer Mubin Solkar, the preacher has levelled some other charges also against the channel including “creating enmity and hatred between religious communities” and hurting the “religious sentiments” of Naik and the Muslim community through the channel.
In the legal notice filed by his lawyer on behalf of Zakir Naik, he accuses Arnab Goswami of making false and defamatory statements in his “The Newshour Debate” which was telecast on the channel on 6th July, 2016.
The notice says Arnab made statements such as:
1. “He is not a scholar, he is a supporter of Osama Bin Laden, he used the medium of television to build the case for Osama Bin Laden.”
2. “Zakir Naik is so dangerous, he is so dangerous, because he uses the television media.”
3. “He is using the garb of Quran to defend violence, the ISIS has carried out the attack in Dhaka and this man is defending Osama Bin Laden and building a case for them.”
4. “He is an agent of terror.”
5. “This debate is for protecting India from venomous people like Zakir Naik.”
6. “I cannot tolerate people who carry an Indian passport and have no loyalty to this country, to this country’s belief, to this country’s sovereignty and to this country’s secularism.”
7. “Kafeel Ahmad responsible for the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack, the man who plotted the 2007 London bombings is inspired by Zakir Naik, Iqbal Bhatkal, Raahil Bhatkal of the Indian Mujahidden are inspired by Zakir Naik.”
The radical preacher has been blaming the press for a ‘media trial’, but this is for the first time Naik is slapping a legal notice against any media company in connection with the recent allegations. The governments in India and Bangladesh had taken certain actions against Naik’s Peace TV. Naik is also banned in certain countries like the UK for his alleged hate speech. Many Islamic scholars and Muslim clerics had spoken against Naik, criticising that his speeches misguide the members of the community.
By Premji
