Dr Zakir Naik: What a problematic man and what a controversial tour

Dr Zakir Naik spent over a week in Pakistan in a tour marred with controversies. It was as if he was not here to deliver lectures but on a spree of giving politically incorrect and problematic statements.

The Indian religious scholar gained respect around the world for his knowledge about comparative religious studies. Seeing him quoting verses and quotations with exact references of different religious texts left people in awe of him. With growing allegations of money laundering and hate speech, he was forced to leave India and take refuge in Malaysia. The irony is that he was so afraid of his government that he said that if he had “moved to Pakistan, India would have labelled me [him] an ISI agent and used false propaganda.” Yet, in the recent visit, he kept comparing Pakistan with India, where he is not even welcome. It all started with him degrading PIA for not giving him a waiver for charges on his team’s 1000 kg luggage. However, a statement by the national flag carrier circulating widely on social media describes that his tour was sponsored by a Pakistani-Malaysian businessman and Dr Naik himself travelled via Qatar Airways, negating his claims of being a “state guest” and having talked to the CEO.

Dr Naik then strongly condemned earning from YouTube, yet he chose to sit with Nadir Ali for a podcast and even appeared in a video with Ducky Bhai. His social media team also posts on socials, also using clickbait headlines like “Pakistani actress Yashma Gill asks Dr Zakir Naik a challenging question” or “Pathan Ladki ne Dr Zakir Naik se Pakistani society ke baray mein contradictory sawaal kia.”

The most bizarre video that sparked a backlash on the internet was when Dr Naik was seen rebuking a young girl for asking a question which he thought wasn’t worded well. Dr Naik, with all the experience in the world, was seen being short with the girl, which left many confused. However, it was his remarks about unmarried women that exposed a chauvinistic mindset. While explaining the core idea behind men having the right to marry more than one woman ‘because they are less in number’, he went ahead to state that women who are left without a man either have to settle for a married one or they will become a “bazaari aurat” which in his words seemed to mean “public property.” He also made a public show of not sharing a stage with orphan girls by saying that they were adults and it is impermissible in Islam to have contact with them. All while standing next to them, making them embarrassingly aware of their gender. Why he could not have told the organisers ahead of time or before going on stage is still unanswered.

Dr Naik gave another example of his misogynistic views in his interview with journalist Fareeha Idrees by saying that women, if they work, should not appear in media uncovered, arguing that this may ‘arouse men’. If seeing a woman for twenty minutes straight doesn’t provoke anything in them, then men, according to him, are “sick” and should seek a psychiatrist. Saying all of this in front of the female anchor sitting opposite him. He reiterated the age-old argument that seeking permission for jobs from men of the house is imperative for Muslim women and that it ‘takes two hands for a clap’, implying that the woman, if not wearing a hijab, prompts a man to harass her, making both of them sinful.

His old videos have been dug out after these statements, where he is seen using controversial arguments, saying things like the marriage of a 13-year-old girl with a man as old as 120 years is viable because both can procreate. In his words, even a rapist will be pardoned if he seeks forgiveness wholeheartedly.

If the government intended to distract Pakistanis from the ongoing situation in the country, as many have assumed was the reason why this controversial orator was invited, the tour has been a success, even though it has clearly ruined the reputation of Dr Naik.

It is 2024 and Dr Naik’s ideologies have not evolved. Consequently, all the reverence he ever garnered is lost for good. It also brings notice to the fact that the recorded, well-prepared lectures were a mask he used to hide under while his actual orthodox ideas are revealed in the impromptu sessions he held in Pakistan. His ideas are obsolete enough to believe that women cannot be leaders and for him it is a “pity” that Muslim countries have more women leaders as ‘their best place is in their homes’. And while it cannot be ignored that a lot of people agree with the fiery preacher’s thoughts, they do not — and should not — have a place in a progressive Pakistan: one that stands on a large female workforce and should promote religious and social harmony.