PARLIAMENT | Controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik is not barred from entering Malaysia as he has not broken any law in this country, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

"The immigration department will blacklist all individuals who are seen as threats to the country's security and public order, based on the information channeled from enforcement agencies.

"An individual will not be blacklisted merely based on media reports...," he sad in a written parliamentary reply in his capacity as home minister.

He was responding to M Kulasegaran (DAP-Ipoh Barat) who asked why Zakir, whom the lawmaker claimed was involved in terrorism, was not banned from entering Malaysia.

However, Zahid pointed out that the Indian-born preacher was not classified as a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR).

He also disclosed that a total of 1.22 million individuals have been barred from entering MalaysIa between 2010 and 2017.

[More to follow]