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Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi (http://www.firstpost.com/author/ghulam-rasool-dehlvi) Updated: Jul

14, 2016 17:39 IST 128
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561 1
(http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php) naik-and-

salafism-

why-islamic-

The radical televangelist Zakir Naik has cancelled his media interaction on Thursday for
the third time. It came as a surprise to many who have viewed him fiercely debating
with the leaders of other faiths, loudly proclaiming numerous supremacist and
incendiary statements.

But when it came to the

clarification of his
objectionable and widely
debated utterances calling for
religious bigotry, communal
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disharmony, puritanical
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fundamentalism, ideological Live Coverage (/live-cricket-score-ball-by-ball/australia-
v-south-africa-commentary-test/2597/181140.html)
extremism and his misogynist
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and chauvinistic sermons, he RUNS WKTS OVERS

seems to back out.

(http://s3.firstpost.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/07
/Zakir-Naik-380-YouTube-cropped2.jpg)
Televangelist Zakir Naik. Image from YouTube The controversial Salafist
preacher, who is currently on a
lecture tour in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Africa addressing large
Muslim gatherings, was supposed to appear in front of the media in Mumbai via video-
conference, after the IRF managed to get a venue on Wednesday. But the supporters
and the official spokespersons of the IRF maintain that they are not getting any venue
to address the media in Mumbai. “At least four venues, including three five-star hotels
and the World Trade Centre (WTC), had declined permission for conducting his press
conference via Skype,” they told the media.
(http://www.firstpost.com/politics
/demonetisation-and-modinomics-
Of late, an official spokesperson of Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), as
burning-down-a-forest-for-a-few-black-

1 of 5 15/11/2016 9:35 AM
Zakir Naik and Salafism: Why Islamic scholars can dismantle influence o... http://www.firstpost.com/india/zakir-naik-and-salafism-why-islamic-scho...
reported in The Indian Express, has told: “It is very difficult to do a press conference. sheep-is-flawed-3105046.html)

We will announce another conference soon. Naik himself is willing to come and share
information with people."

However, if the case is believed to be so, the question arises: why is Naik himself not
coming back home for easier access to the questioners and critics, from both the media
and the Indian Muslim intelligentsia? No date of Naik returning to India has been fixed.
The IRF spokesperson just keeps repeating, “We can expect him back in India very
soon. Though for now we don’t have any fixed date.”
(http://www.news18.com
Moreover, one wonders why Naik hasn't come for a direct interaction with the media
and several scholars who have critiqued his flawed understanding of Islam. He insists /news/india/modi-armour-crackdown-
on-benami-property-mega-rural-package-
on speaking only in his own press conference organised by the IRF, as his expertise lies coming-
only in his pre-planned and well-worked-out public speaking. Is it his 'unwillingness' or 1311941.html?utm_source=fp_top_internal)
Modi Armour:
'inability' to face the Indian media, journalists and the well-established classical Islamic
Crackdown on Benami
scholars asking him direct straightforward questions? Property & Mega Rural
Package Coming
Remarkably, the mainstream Indian Islamic scholars have posed pertinent and (http://www.news18.com
/news/india/modi-
unavoidable questions to Naik. Most of them are related to his retrogressive, armour-crackdown-
chauvinistic and inflammatory statements on Osama-bin-Laden, Muslims and on-benami-property-
mega-rural-package-
terrorism, ban on propagation of all other religions except Islam, sex slavery, laws of
coming-
apostasy in Islam, child marriage, destruction of cultural and religious structures such 1311941.html?utm_source=fp_top_internal)
- News18
as the Buddhas of Bamiyan, desecration of the Prophet’s tomb and declaring all ‘others’
mushrik (polytheist) and kafir (non-believers). All these questions need to be answered
point by point, clause by clause.

The basic question that must not be overlooked is that why Naik has been trying to lure (http://www.firstpost.com/sports/india-
the Indian Muslims, anchored in an age-old traditional Sufi Islam, into professing and vs-england-haseeb-hameeds-gujarat-
roots-and-the-perfect-loop-of-
practicing the pernicious theology of Salafism, a theology that has inspired the
fate-3104066.html)
self-imposed caliphate of Daesh or the so-called Islamic state creating mayhem and India vs England: Haseeb
Hameed’s Gujarat roots
calamity to all those against the terror outfit. "The ideology of Daesh (IS) comes from
and the perfect loop of
our own books, our own principles; we follow the same thought—Salafism,” said Shaikh fate
Aadel Al-Kalbani, former imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and a Salafist preacher (http://www.firstpost.com
/sports/india-
himself. He has confessed the link between the Salafist theology and the jihadist vs-england-haseeb-
atrocities being perpetrated by the Islamic States militants in many of his writings and hameeds-gujarat-roots-
and-the-perfect-loop-of-
talks. In an interview with MBC, a Dubai-based TV channel, he openly states that the fate-3104066.html)
Salafist ideas are what he believes as the roots of the ISIS’ extremism. In his video,
which is now uploaded on YouTube channel, Shaikh al-Kalbani admitted
(http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/former-imam-of-mecca-grand-mosque-islamic-
state-saudi-arabia/1/582733.html): "We follow the same thought as the Daesh, but
(http://www.firstpost.com/politics/modi-
apply it in a refined way”…… “They [ISIS] draw their ideas from what is written in our in-ghazipur-pms-rally-is-to-convince-
own books, from our own principles." people-that-demonetisation-is-a-good-
decision-3105264.html)
Modi in Ghazipur: PM's
Shaikh Al-Kalbani has also written two articles in the Saudi daily Arabic newspaper rally is to convince people
Al-Riyadh criticising the Salafi ulema’s approach towards the subject of Islam and that demonetisation is a
good decision
violence in a style which justifies the killing of the opponents. He also candidly exposed
(http://www.firstpost.com
the Saudi Salafist clergy who don’t have courage of conviction to speak out the truth. In /politics/modi-
in-ghazipur-pms-rally-
another televised interview, Shaikh Al-Kalbani has admitted in clear, unambiguous and
is-to-convince-people-
unequivocal words (http://islam.hilmi.eu/senior-saudi-salafi-cleric-isis-is-a-true- that-demonetisation-
product-of-salafism/) that: “ISIS is a true product of Salafism, and we must deal with it is-a-good-decision-
3105264.html)
with full transparency."

(http://www.moneycontrol.com
ALSO SEE
Perhaps, Shaikh al-Kalbani is the first Salafist imam
who has debunked the common perception /news/planning/coasting-to-cruising:-5-tips-
to-reach-your-financial-
surrounding in several sections of the Muslim
goals_7883021.html?utm_source=mc_feed_pf)
community that 'ISIS is a creature of the western Coasting to cruising: 5
Tips to reach your
intelligence agencies'. But he challenged it saying:
financial goals
"the ideology behind Daesh is the Salafist thought (http://www.moneycontrol.com
that many Muslims follow, but the only disagreement /news/planning
/coasting-to-cruising:-
is with the way in which that ideology is acted out 5-tips-to-reach-
from a public relations perspective”. your-financial-
goals_7883021.html?utm_source=mc_feed_pf)
- Moneycontrol
In fact, the theology of Salafist jihadism (al-slafiyah
al-jihadiah) is entirely based on its founder-ideologue
Imam Ibn-e-Taymiyyah’s religious and
jurisprudential justifications of violent extremism. No
wonder then, the online English mouthpiece of the (http://www.firstpost.com/india/donald-
trump-and-india-president-elects-
Daesh, called Dabiq, quotes the writings and fatwas hawkish-views-on-china-bode-well-
for-us-3105148.html)

2 of 5 15/11/2016 9:35 AM
Zakir Naik and Salafism: Why Islamic scholars can dismantle influence o... http://www.firstpost.com/india/zakir-naik-and-salafism-why-islamic-scho...
of Ibn Taymiyyah while justifying its terror atrocities. Donald Trump and India:
President-elect's hawkish
A dangerous religious decree of Ibn Taymiyyah called views on China bode well
“fatwa maar deen” has been extensively quoted by the for us
(http://www.firstpost.com
Sponsored Lazada jihadist ideologues of all the previous times. It has
/india/donald-trump-
also been quoted in Dabiq (Issue 7, page no. 21). I and-india-president-
elects-hawkish-views-
suffice to only one sentence of this extremist fatwa:
on-china-bode-well-
“The basis of religion is a guiding book and a for-us-3105148.html)
supporting sword” (Majm’u al-Fatawa).
×
Now it should be no surprise why the global Salafist
jihadists—from Al Qaeda to IS, Boko Haram,
Al-Shabab, Harka-tul- Jihad wal-Hijrah, Jabhat-
ul-Nasrah, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan etc.—are
avowedly spreading their ‘religion’ and the ‘guiding
book’ with a supporting sword, playing havoc across much of the world.
Crowdfund India property
At a time when the Salafism-inspired preachers and televangelists like Naik, massively
Pre-vetted properties. Top
funded by the Saudi largesse, are influencing a large section of the gullible Muslim developers. Escrow transactions.
Clients in 320 cities
youth in India, I wonder why we Indian Muslims should not concern ourselves with this
imminent threat. Let us not forget the influence of the same ferocious Salafi-Wahhabi
thought playing out in the attack on the famous Sufi Qawwal Amjad Sabri recently
killed in our neighboring country, Pakistan. Clearly, his brutal killing was not an
ordinary terror incident. It was a part of the ideological war on the Sufi culture of
Qawwali, which is viewed as haram (religiously forbidden) in the doctrine of Salafis-
Wahhabis. Similarly, they declare seeking the spiritual blessings from the Prophet
(pbuh) tantamount to shirk (associating someone with God), the gravest offense in the
Crowdfund India property
Islamic sharia leading to the capital punishment in an Islamic state. The late Amjad
Pre-vetted properties. Top
Sabri was targeted by the self-styled jihadist murderours because he would openly developers. Escrow transactions.
Clients in 320 cities
indulge in something which was ‘shirk’ in their faith. He used to seek blessings from the
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in his famous Sufi Qawwali which goes like this: “bhar do Cricket Scores
gholi meri ya Muhammad….laut ke main na jaunga khali… (O’ Prophet, (pbuh) grant Current & Recent Upcoming

me your blessings, I will not go empty-handed).

Zimbabwe Tri-Nation Series, 2016
ZIM Vs SL
Being a Salafist preacher, Zakir Naik and his staunch ideological supporters also
Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 8 wickets
consider the Sufi singers beyond the pale of Islam, because ‘they indulge in ‘haram’ and (/cricket-live-score/update-zimbabwe-

‘shirk’ by singing Qawwali and seeking blessings from prophets and saints, other than v-sri-lanka-odi/2691/182316.html)

God’. In a public speech aired on his Peace TV, Naik went on record overtly attacking South Africa in Australia, 3 Test Series,
such Sufis, saying that, "aaj ke dau men Muhammad (pbuh) se bhi mangna shirk hai, 2016
AUS Vs SA
in fakiron aur babaon ki baat to choro" (It's an act of shirk to seek blessings even from
Live Now (/cricket-live-score/update-
Muhammad pbuh in this age, let alone the Sufi saints and holy men). australia-v-south-africa-test/2597
/181140.html)
Clearly, this is the ideological nexus between the pernicious and exclusivist theology of
takfirism and the attack on the Sufi and Shia individuals. England in India, 5 Test Series, 2016
IND Vs ENG
Regrettably, Naik has often denigrated the Sufi practitioners tagging them "qabr parast"
(shrine-worshippers) likening their 'shirk' to the ‘Hindu idolatry’ (but parasti). The
direct result of this sectarian indoctrination is that Naik’s blind followers tacitly support
the killing of the Sufi practitioners like Amjad Sabri in Pakistan, calling it “a fitting MORE STORIES FROM
Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi (http://www.firstpost.com
punishment to the idolaters”. While the mainstream Sufi-Sunni Muslims in India /author/ghulam-rasool-dehlvi)

commemorated Sabri’s demise as that of a martyr and strongly condemned the terror
US election 2016: Not just Republicans, even
attack on him, not a single Salafi preacher came out to speak in unison. Islamic State will celebrate Donald Trump's
win (http://www.firstpost.com/world
It is about time not only the media and journalists but also the progressive Indian /us-election-2016-not-just-republicans-
even-islamic-state-will-celebrate-donald-
Islamic scholars, particularly ulema, will have to confront Zakir Naik, questioning him trumps-win-3097270.html)
on his blatant attempts to twist the Islamic doctrines misinterpreting the Qur’anic
Rebuttal to anti-India article in Dawn: Don't
verses and hadith (prophetic tradtions) to further the nefarious Salafist ends in India. see India through Pakistan's prism
(http://www.firstpost.com/india/rebuttal-
The author is a scholar of Comparative Religion, Classical Arabic and Islamic to-anti-india-article-in-dawn-dont-see-india-
through-pakistans-prism-3087974.html)
sciences, cultural analyst and researcher in Media and Communication Studies.
UP polls: How formation of a Muslim
Contact him at grdehlavi@gmail.com political coalition could hurt 'secular' parties
like SP, BSP (http://www.firstpost.com
/politics/up-polls-how-formation-
First Published On : Jul 14, 2016 17:39 IST of-a-muslim-political-coalition-could-
hurt-secular-parties-like-sp-
bsp-3080306.html)

UCC and triple talaq debate: Media has

Comment using your Facebook account wholly ignored misreading of religious texts
(http://www.firstpost.com/india/ucc-and-
triple-talaq-debate-media-has-wholly-
ignored-misreading-of-religious-texts-
3079738.html)

Triple talaq and Indian Urdu Press: Why is

the space limited for dissenting views?

3 of 5 15/11/2016 9:35 AM