India revokes passport of Muslim preacher Zakir Naik

The Indian government has revoked the passport of the famous Indian Muslim preacher Zakir Naik, who is known for his non-violent and anti-terror discourse, Indian news agencies reported on Tuesday.

An official statement said that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had made a request several days ago to revoke Naik’s passport.

“The Regional Passport Office, Mumbai, has revoked the Indian passport of Dr Zakir Abdul Karim Naik, resident of B-1005/1006 Jasmine Apartment, 65-B, Dockyard Road, Mazagaon, Mumbai, under the provisions of the Passport Act 1967,” the statement said.

The statement also said that Naik’s passport was revoked after his consistent failure to present himself before the NIA in connection to allegations of funding terrorism.

Read: Activists campaign to block Indian preacher Zakir Naik from Lebanon

Times of India reported that the Indian intelligence agency asked Interpol to put Naik’s name on the Red List – which means he could be extradited on request – noting that he could be hiding in the UAE or Saudi Arabia and is travelling to Indonesia and Malaysia.

Naik has been outside India for three years. He runs several international TV channels introducing Islam in several international languages and he holds comparison sessions between the world religions. Thousands of people converted to Islam after speaking or listening to him, including senior religious officials from all religions.

He was recently invited to an Islamic event in Malaysia though it is not clear whether he will attend or not.