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New Delhi, October 27 (IANS) After the 2016 Dhaka Holi Artisan Bakery terror attack, Sheikh Hasina government had banned Zakir Naik’s Peace TV. The decision was taken after one of the attackers said he and his associates were inspired by Naik’s fiery speeches.
Now, the Muhammad Yunus-led Bangladesh government is ready to roll out the red carpet for Naik. This is another indication of how radicalized the country is becoming after Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power. The Yunus government has approved Naik’s one-month visit, which will begin on November 28 and end on December 20. During this period, Naik would travel across the country and give speeches.
Naik is known for giving fiery speeches. He has often preached radical Islam and openly supported several terrorist groups. He is wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in India in several cases related to hate speeches and inciting communal disharmony.
Naik’s visit to Bangladesh will be his first and it comes within a year of Pakistan hosting a similar nationwide visit. Naik was also given a warm welcome in Pakistan and during the visit he met top level politicians and officials.
Officials say Naik is known for his anti-India stance. While in India, he has been involved in many anti-India activities through his NGO. His name has also surfaced in several forced conversion cases in Kerala, linked to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI).
His visit to Bangladesh comes at a time when Indian agencies are fearing the rise of radicalism in the country. The Yunus government, said to be a puppet of Jamaat-e-Islami, has released many terrorists and also encouraged the rise of radicalism. This has laid the red carpet for ISI, which is carrying out anti-India activities unabated in Bangladesh.
Analysts say that Naik’s visit to Bangladesh has been done thoughtfully. Naik will visit several parts of the country during his month-long visit, during which he will give talks about the importance of violent Islam.
If we talk about his visit to Pakistan, he will also meet the heads of terrorist groups. During his visit to Pakistan he met top Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders Muzammil Iqbal Hashmi, Muhammad Harris Dhar and Faisal Nadeem. All of these individuals have been designated terrorists by the United States since 2008.
His visit to Bangladesh will also be no different and during his visit he is expected to meet commanders of various terrorist organizations like Harper-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh (JMB).
These are two terrorist groups that have been identified by the ISI to carry out attacks in India. In fact, ISI has sent top commanders of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to Bangladesh to train HuJI and JMB members. While the ISI has already hatched plans against India using Bangladesh-based terrorist groups, Naik’s visit will give impetus to such activities.
He immediately fled India after the Dhaka attack in 2016. One of the attackers had said that he was inspired by Naik’s speech on YouTube. Naik currently lives in Malaysia and Britain and Canada have refused him a visa.
Through his Peace TV he propagates violent Islam. They have also launched channels in both Urdu and Bengali languages. Naik is the same person who had given a controversial statement in which he had said, “If Bin Laden is fighting the enemies of Islam then I am with him. If the biggest terrorist is terrorizing America then I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist.” However, he said he was misquoted.
–IANS
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