COMMENT Freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and one of the basic conditions for its progress and for each individual’s self-fulfilment. Concepts such as pluralism and tolerance are the hallmarks of a democratic society. However, there is a need to tread carefully in areas related to free speech and expression.

In the past few days, there have been urgings by Malaysians to ban Zakir Naik, a leading Muslim writer and public speaker, from conducting a series of seminars in Malaysia. Zakir is the chairperson of the Islamic Research Foundation International (IRFI), a charity based in the United Kingdom.

He is involved in a number of not-for-profit broadcast companies in the broadcasting field, including Lords Production Inc Ltd, a UK company, which holds the broadcast licence for Peace TV.