The police have instructed organisers of a forum in Malacca featuring controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik to cancel the event on grounds of potential public unrest and to protect religious sensitivities in the country.

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said today organisers of the event, originally scheduled to be held at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia campus in Malacca on April 17, have been summoned to Bukit Aman.

“We have summoned the organisers and instructed them to cancel forums such as these.

“In our view, when the preacher discusses the topic (of) similarities between Hinduism and Islam. It (the discussion) cannot stray away from touching on the weakness of one religion,” he said, adding that such discussions will not be a good thing for the country.

According to the forum’s promotional poster, Zakir was scheduled to deliver a talk titled ‘Similarities between Hinduism and Islam’.

Zakir, who was in 2013 awarded the ‘Tokoh Ma’al Hijrah Distinguished International Personality’ by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is currently in Terengganu, attending several events under the invitation of state Menteri Besar Mohamad Razif Ismail.

Banned from speaking in Singapore

Both the MIC and several Indian-based NGOs yesterday lodged police reports against Zakir's scheduled lecture, protesting his allegedly anti-Hindu remarks made in the past.

Negri Sembilan MIC Youth claimed that the preacher, an Indian national, had before this insulted Hindus and Christians at a lecture at UiTM Shah Alam.

Zakir has reportedly been banned from speaking in Singapore and was told by the Canadian government in 2010 that he would not be allowed entry.

He has also been barred from entering the United Kingdom.

However, Perlis mufti Asri Zainul Abidin said Zakir is a world-renowned preacher whose lectures have convinced thousands of people to embrace Islam.