VIJAYAWADA: Barely a week after seers protested against the demolition of temples in Vijayawada, the city witnessed more religious gatherings on Tuesday.
Members of the Muslim community gathered at two separate places in the city, one denouncing the preaching televangelist Zakir Naik and the second in favour of the man who has been in the eye of a storm recently.
While the Muslim religious heads representing various Dargahs and masjid committees from across the state opposed the very essence of Zakir Naik’s teachings, his supporters adopted an aggressive form of defence. The Ahle Sunnatul Jamaat Forum, referring to the preaching of various saints right fr-om Hazrat Khwaja Garib Na-waz, said that communal harmony and peaceful coexistence had prevailed in the country for centuries but preachers li-ke Zakir Naik have been directly or indirectly misguiding in-nocent Muslims and pushing them towards extremism.
“Hazrat Khwaja Garibh Nawaz showed us how to live in harmony with our countrymen about 800 years ago, but now, Zakir Naik and people like him are advocating the cause of terrorism in the name of religion. He is instigating students and youths against the beliefs and traditions of other religions,” said Muhammad Altaf Raza, convener of the ASJF. “We will not allow Satan to besmirch Islam,” he said, posing a direct question to Zakir Naik: “What right does he have to disturb the harmonious environment in the country?”
While stating that Islam will neither have Naiks nor Khalnaiks, the ASJF convener observed that Muslims are not hired people here in India. “We are born here, and we will be here till our last breath,” Moulana Raza said. Another religious leader Mu-fti Moulana Abdul Khadir Razvi said that Indian Muslims are ready for any sacrifice to protect the integrity of the country.
Maulana Gauhar Aalam, Ma-ulana Zakir Hussain, Maulana Intekhab Aalam, Maulana Ashrafi, Maulana Abdul Muqeem and Syed Nazeerudden urged the Union government to initiate an inquiry into the flow of funds to Zakir Naik from across the globe. They also demanded a ban on his preaching through any TV channels.
The Muslim Democratic Front on Tuesday demanded the media to immediately stop what it alleged was a vicious propaganda against Zakir Naik. At a meeting organised by the MDF, the speakers accused some media organisations of projecting Zakir Naik erroneously.
Claiming that Zakir Naik’s preaching was being misunderstood and of developing misconceptions, Jamaat-e-Ahle Hadees state president Sayeed Ahmed Madani said that the televangelist spoke about unity in diversity time and again but was still wrongly projected.
Muslim Development Society state president Muneer Ahmed suspected political malintentions behind the issue. MDF convener Mohammed Fatahullah and Jamat-e-Islami-e-Hind advisory board member Mohammed Dawood alleged that some media organizations have been acting against the Constitution. "The Government should respond immediately on the said issues," they demanded.
Welfare party of India state president Shabber Ahmed spoke about "Ghar Wapsi" and recitation of Vande Mataram, saying that no action was taken when some people or organisations tried to force others to follow their ideology. "Is that not against the Constitution?" he asked. Student Islamic Organisation state president Kareemuddeen, MDF co-convener Mohiddeen and Muslim Journalist Forum president Abdul Aleem were present.
