According to reports, Qatar informed India via official channels that Zakir Naik, an Indian fugitive and radical Islamist preacher, had not received any formal invitation to attend the November 20, 2022, FIFA World Cup inauguration in Doha. Qatar reportedly stated that other nations were deliberately disseminating “disinformation” to impair diplomatic ties between India and Qatar.
The statement was made after New Delhi raised concerns with Doha that it would be compelled to terminate Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar’s trip to the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony if Islamist Zakir Naik were to be formally invited to watch the event’s opening from the VVIP box, a report by India Today stated.
Vice President Dhankar observed the celebration on November 20 and left Qatar the following day after meeting with Indian expatriate blue-collar workers who had built soccer stadiums in Qatar. Dhankhar also addressed the Indian diaspora, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his efforts during the COVID-19 crisis, which provided food grains for over 80 million people in the country.
Doha, Qatar | Indian community welcomes Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, on his visit to Doha in Qatar to represent India at the inaugural function of the FIFA World Cup 2022 pic.twitter.com/rFSoOBA6DM
— ANI (@ANI) November 21, 2022
As reported earlier by OpIndia, Zakir Naik arrived in Doha, Qatar, ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to deliver religious speeches around the country. Naik is wanted by Indian police on suspicion of money laundering and hate speech in India. India barred Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation from operating, accusing him of inciting and assisting its followers in promoting or attempting to foster sentiments of animosity, hatred, or ill-will amongst religious communities and groups. After departing India in 2016, Zakir Naik fled to Malaysia.
On March 30, 2022, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notice declaring the Islamic Research Foundation an illegal association and banning it for the next five years. This organization was established by fundamentalist preacher Zakir Naik, who is accused of radicalising Muslim teenagers through his so-called religious talks.
The radical Islamist activities of Zakir Naik have been well documented. In 2016, terrorists involved in the Dhaka blast case admitted that they were influenced by the preacher’s speeches.
In 2019, Zakir was banned from giving speeches in Malaysia after he made racist comments against Hindus and Chinese Malaysians. He was interrogated for hours in connection to the same. Zakir Naik is wanted in India in cases involving money laundering. The government of India had taken his channel, Peace TV, off the air for peddling hate propaganda.
