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Hindu Sangam: Was compromise reached on Zakir's lecture?
Published:  Apr 13, 2016 12:00 PM
Updated: 10:20 AM

The Malaysian Hindu Sangam (MHS) president Mohan Shan has questioned whether the ruling Indian-based party MIC had agreed with the Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to compromise on the issue of controversial Muslim scholar Dr Zakir Naik.

"The deputy prime minister said that the 'government' had given the green light for Zakir to talk at UTeM (Universiti Teknikal Malaysia) in Malacca.

"How did the government decide on this, when its own component party, MIC, which is part of the government, had opposed vehemently together with Hindu Sangam and the various Hindu NGOs on Zakir's public talks?" Mohan asked in a statement today.

He was referring to MIC's call on Monday for Zakir to be banned completely from entering the country in the first place.

Previously, inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar had ordered for Zakir's lectures in Malacca and Kuala Lumpur to be cancelled on grounds of potential public unrest and to protect religious sensitivities in the country.

Though Khalid later allowed the Kuala Lumpur lecture titled 'Is the Quran God's Word' with certain conditions, he had said that he would not reconsider the decision to ban the lecture in Malacca titled 'Similarities between Islam and Hinduism'.

Despite that, Zahid ( photo) , who is also the home minister, said that Zakir's talk in Malacca will be allowed to proceed but with a change in the title.

Mohan said the Hindu Sangam was disappointed and displeased at the "snub" from the government on its request to ban Zakir's lectures, despite earlier assurances from the IGP.

The sensitivities of the Hindu communities were being disregarded by the government, he said.

"(This is) despite (the government) knowing that the Hindu community in Malaysia was enraged with Zakir's provocative public talks and the organiser's issuance of VIP-tickets for those who bring non-Muslims for the event," he said.

While Mohan praised MIC for its stand in this matter, he added that Zahid should have consulted MHS before deciding to allow the lecture in Malacca, instead of compromising with the organisers "whose concern is only with the financial investment and gain, rather than the matter of national unity and harmony".

"Zakir is well known for his manipulative provocations with his shallow knowledge of other religion, and his attempt to convert Hindus and non-Muslims during these public talks," he warned.

However, Mohan stressed that the Hindus are not against any scholars promoting or enhancing their own religious or spiritual knowledge, but that they are only against those who discriminate and undermine other religions at their lectures.

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