'Rubbish': Lawyer denies claims Zakir Naik diagnosed with AIDS

A lawyer for Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik had rubbished claims on social media that the latter is now suffering from AIDS.

“As I told you, it is rubbish, fake news, and absolutely no truth in it,” Akberdin Abdul Kadir told Malaysiakini, adding that Zakir is now abroad.

Recently, there have been claims on social media that Zakir had been diagnosed with the disease and is hospitalised at a private medical facility.

Zakir, an Indian national who holds a permanent resident status in Malaysia, triggered police investigations in 2019 after making some unsavoury remarks against the Chinese and Indians, resulting in over 100 reports being lodged against him.

“You know someone called me a guest. So I said, before me, the Chinese were the guests. If you want the new guest to go first, ask the old guest to go back.

“The Chinese aren’t born here, most of them. Maybe the new generations, yes.

“If you want the guest to go back, and those guests which (sic) are bringing peace in the community, they are benefit (sic) for the family,” he said.

He also claimed that Indian Malaysians seemed to trust the Indian government more than the then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

While a ban on him speaking in public was imposed soon after, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said earlier this year that it was only imposed in 2019, while investigations on Zakir were ongoing.

This came after Zakir was featured as a guest speaker during a religious ceramah in Perlis on Feb 2.

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