“Congress MLA Roshan Baig invited Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for a public discussion on 'The concept of God in Hindusim and Islam in the light of Sacred Scriptures' in 2006. Sri Sri was to talk about the Hinduism aspect whereas Zakir Naik on Islam,” Sri Sri’s Art of Living foundation said in a statement.
“At the event, Zakir Naik quoted verses from the Vedas out of context and tried to insult Hinduism and other idol-worshipping religions. His talk was misguiding and inciting people.
“Naik frequently referred to a book written by Sri Sri called 'Hinduism and Islam', and distorted Sri Sri's message in the book. The book highlighted the shared values between the two religions and sought to bring them together. It had influenced many youth who were skeptical about Hinduism. This was not finding favour with Zakir Naik's philosophy of denigrating other religions,” the statement added.
“A couple of Muslim men, who seemed to have been asked by Zakir Naik to come on the mike, shared that they were pandits earlier and had now had become Muslims. The situation was charged with tension. To diffuse the situation, Sri Sri did not press any arguments but simply quoted a verse from Kabir:Pothi padh padh jag mua, pandit bhayo na koye,
Dhai akshar prem ka, padhe so pandit hoye,” the statement said.
Controversial Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik has reportedly inspired one of the five Bangladeshi militants involved in the Dhaka carnage. Due to this, his speeches have come under the scanner of security agencies. Congress leader Digvijay Singh and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar have been targeted for attending his functions in the past.