Do not support terrorism, will cooperate with investigative agencies: Zakir Naik

New Delhi: Controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik, who is in spot for allegedly inspiring terrorists through his speeches, has issued a statement, saying he did not support terrorism or violence in any form. He said he would cooperate with any official Indian government investigation. He, however, said that no agency had contacted him for any clarification so far. “In conclusion, I repeat what I have always maintained -   I DO NOT SUPPORT TERRORISM OR VIOLENCE in any form whatsoever. I have never supported any terrorist organisations and have mentioned this over and over again in thousands of my public talks worldwide. I STRONGLY (sic) CONDEMN anyone taking my statements out of context and using it for VIOLENCE OF ANY FORM,” he said in a statement. “So far not a single official Indian government agency has contacted me for any clarification regarding this issue. It would be my pleasure to cooperate with any official Indian government investigation agency for any information they might require from me,” he added. He alleged that he was being subjected to a media trial. “I'm shocked at the media trial on me regarding the recent terrorist attack that took place in Dhaka Bangladesh on 1st July 2016. Most of the clips shown on the television of myself are either out of context, half statements or doctored. So are my statements in the print media,” he said. “I would have loved to give interviews whether for television channels or for the print media, but I fear that most of them will not publish it unedited or without twisting it. I came to this conclusion after I had given a few interviews, most of which were unfortunately mutilated and misutilised to serve the vested agenda of the channel or the newspaper,” he alleged. He promised that he would respond to allegations soon. According to reports, Zakir Naik has cancelled his return to India from Saudi Arabia after he came under scanner for inciting religious intolerance and violent extremism through his preachings that allegedly inspired the Dhaka cafe attackers. Following the terror attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery, both India and Bangladesh have banned the broadcast of his unauthorized Peace TV channel. Naik was supposed to come back to Mumbai from Saudi Arabia on Monday morning but has canceled the return, sources close to Naik said. He may also soon issue a clarification through video conferencing over the recent issues. However, there is no substantial evidence that suggests that Naik through his preachings indoctrinated or radicalised any of the youths linked with terrorism. His name first appeared in 2002-2003 amid a series of blasts in Mumbai and led Mumbai crime branch to Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) founded by him. But no evidence was found against him. While he claims to be an advocate of interfaith dialogue, his preachings reinforce otherwise. He opposes propagating any other religion and says that non-Muslims should not be allowed to have places of religious worships in an Islamic country.