Blown out of proportion
i nterpol recently issued a red corner notice for the arrest of the indian preacher zakir naik who is accused of money laundering, attaining illicit gains through self-run religious satellite channels and other terrorism-related charges. naik, 52, is a well-known preacher and a physician; but he, like many “civil” preachers, may have discovered that work in advocacy of religion is more blessed and profitable in this world and in the hereafter. naik has a wide reputation, especially among the poorer indian communities in africa and the west. he is known to have a good memory and has studied many religious texts – islamic, christian, judeo, hindu, buddhist – and in many languages. thousands attend every time naik gives his speeches, but videos, audio recordings and cds of his speeches are more popular and common, especially since they are mostly in english. in august 2016, when india accused him of inciting terrorism and spreading sectarianism through his channels and sermons, he fled from the country and has not returned to it yet. while naik was living outside india, he visited the gulf region. he even came to kuwait some time ago, and a religious party declared that their intention to hold huge event in his honor at jaber stadium. however, with the intervention of many including myself, his lecture was cancelled. instead, naik and his fans held meetings. a salafi member, who was a former minister of awqaf and islamic affairs and did not remain in office for long because some influential international organizations had objected to his appointment at the time, held a meeting with naik when the latter came to kuwait. during the meeting, naik revealed that 100,000 people embrace islam every year due to his preaching, about one million people attend his speeches, his followers on facebook is about 17 million, and the number of viewers of his religious satellite channel is 250 million. at the end of the meeting, naik appeared discontented for not receiving saudi citizenship. i do not know why a preacher, who has led hundreds of thousands of people to embrace islam annually and has a channel viewed by 250 million people, needs a saudi nationality. such kind of preachers clearly show how tyrants are created among us by exaggerating qualities in their personalities, such that they believe that they are as being told about them. what is the need for the owner of a channel, which is viewed by 250 million people a day (which means revenues worth millions of dollars from advertisements) to seek the nationality of a gulf country that might grant him land or a loan? i do not know why the former kuwaiti minister did not offer the preacher kuwaiti nationality and why he ridiculed the decision to not grant naik saudi nationality? what does this former minister have to do with a matter of sovereignty of another country?
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