<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/53226851.cms" /> "I have been giving public lectures for last 25 years but never encouraged terrorism," controversial Islamic preacher <keyword id="174568" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zakir-Naik">Zakir Naik</keyword> told TNN. 
 
The preacher has been in news for past few days, since several reports are claiming that he is the inspiration for one of the terrorists involved in the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/NSG-team-to-travel-to-Bangladesh/articleshow/53098392.cms">Dhaka cafe attack</a>. 
 
"My statements have been taken out of context and doctored," Naik said in his press conference via Skype. He was talking to the reporters from Medina. 
 
The press conference was started with a condemnation of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Everything-we-know-so-far-about-the-Nice-attack-suspect-who-killed-84-people/articleshow/53225937.cms">recent attacks</a> in Nice, France. 
 
"I will be giving pen drives that have answers to all allegations against me. Look at it with an unbiased mind, you'll see I'm innocent," Naik added. 
 
"Suicide bombing is not permitted in Islam where innocent people are killed. It is wrong," he said. 
 
For several years now, Naik’s sermons are telecast on Peace TV, which is run by Islamic Research Foundation, run by Naik himself. 
 
<a href="http://quintype-01.imgix.net/thequint/2016-07/70b83d7c-db70-4c9d-b5cd-b9f2afce381b/Zakir-naik-1.jpg">Image source</a>

Zakir Naik condemns France attacks, denies encouraging terrorism

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54181147.cms" />To clear the pending requests from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) seeking registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=union+home+ministry&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Union home ministry</a> launched a special drive, with the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=FCRA&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">FCRA</a> division setting itself a one-month deadline to decide on the fate of 1,500 applications. 
 According to the sources in the <keyword id="6359327" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Home-Ministry">home ministry</keyword>, the <keyword id="3633661" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="FCRA-license-requests">FCRA license requests</keyword> were submitted through the manual route, date back to 2014 and 2015, before <keyword id="307144" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="FCRA">FCRA</keyword> clearances were made fully online. "The NGOs had been approaching the home ministry time and again enquiring about the status of their applications," said a home ministry officer. 
 
"Sometime around mid-August, the additional secretary of the foreigners division, which handles all FCRA dealings, asked his subordinates to ensure that the backlog of manual applications for fresh registration was cleared without further delay. They were asked to decide whether to grant or deny registration, and communicate the decision to the concerned NGOs," the officer added. 
 
Sources told that many requests had been deemed fit for rejection, and the focus is on not making the concerned applicants wait any longer for the final decision. 
 
An officer told <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=ET&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">ET</a>, "There is no point in keeping them hanging. Where the decision is a 'no', the officers have been asked to immediately convey it to the applicant NGO," 
 
The recent suspension of four officers of the foreigners division - including a joint secretary, two under-secretaries and a section officer, the staff is pushing hard to meet the deadline, though it expires in just over a week. 
 
A call for applications from retired assistant section officers for engagement as consultants has already been advertised by the home ministry on Tuesday to counter the manpower shortage. 
 
Because of the renewal of FCRA license of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=zakir+naik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Zakir </a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=zakir+naik&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Naik</a>'s NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) through the automatic route, four officers of the foreigners division, including joint secretary G K Dwivedi, were suspended last week. 
 
The online renewal came even as proceedings were under way to put IRF on the 'prior permission' list, which requires all foreign funding to the NGO to be approved by the home ministry. Also, the Union home ministry is mulling declaring IRF an 'unlawful organization' for allegedly spreading communal hatred and carrying out forced conversions. 
 
(Image Credits: BCCL)

Home Ministry sets one month deadline to decide on the fate of 1500 NGO registrations

<ul><li>The move appears to be retaliation for Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s recent comments on <keyword id="6354495" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="kashmir">Kashmir</keyword> and a new Indian citizenship law. </li><li>India is <keyword id="8695" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Malaysia">Malaysia</keyword>’s biggest palm oil customer, importing US$1.3 billion worth in 2018 and accounting for 28 per cent of the latter’s palm oil exports last year.</li></ul><ul><li> India had already raised taxes on refined palm oil from Malaysia for six months in September</li></ul> <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/india" class="link-text">India</a> has banned imports of refined palm oil from <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/malaysia" class="link-text">Malaysia</a> in what analysts say is the latest escalation of a dispute originating from Malaysian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/mahathir-mohamad" class="link-text">Mahathir Mohamad</a>’s pointed remarks on Kashmir and New Delhi’s recently introduced new citizenship law.The ban, first revealed on Wednesday by The Edge Malaysia citing a government notification, came just a day after reports emerged that India was informally asking refiners and traders to avoid buying Malaysian palm oil. India, the world’s top importer of palm oil, was Malaysia’s biggest customer last year, accounting for 28 per cent of its palm oil exports – more than double the previous year. <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/indonesia" class="link-text">Indonesia</a> remains India’s single largest source of palm oil products, however, with a 60 per cent market share. About US$3.8 billion worth of palm oil was exported from Indonesia to India in 2018, compared to US$1.3 billion from Malaysia. <img src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/01/09/c27bc1ba-32ae-11ea-9400-58350050ee52_1320x770_164652.jpg" class="wrapper__img preview-img-item img--landscape" /> Palm oil fruits are unloaded from a truck at a mill in Malaysia. Photo: Reuters India had already raised taxes on refined palm oil from Malaysia for six months in September to 50 per cent from the previous 45 per cent as a safeguard against import spikes following a trade agreement that was signed between the two countries in early 2018. “To support domestic refiners, Indian policymakers are looking to helping their refinery sector by using this non-tariff measure [of banning imports],” said independent political economist Khor Yu Leng. “Malaysia is facing increasing non-tariff issues from yet another big market from palm oil, just after the European Union which has expressed deforestation concerns.” Officials have repeatedly denied that ties between Delhi and Putrajaya are strained, and in October a Malaysian minister even floated the idea of increasing imports of raw <keyword id="31653" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="sugar">sugar</keyword> and buffalo meat from India in 2020. But relations seem to have deteriorated since Mahathir, 93, <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3033975/malaysia-warns-drop-palm-oil-demand-amid-new-eu-rules-and" class="link-text">described India as having “invaded and occupied” Muslim-majority Kashmir</a> , which is also claimed by neighbouring <a href="https://www.scmp.com/topics/pakistan" class="link-text">Pakistan</a>– a close ally of <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china" class="link-text">China</a> .<img src="https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/d8/images/methode/2020/01/09/a8608a74-32b1-11ea-9400-58350050ee52_1320x770_164652.jpg" class="wrapper__img preview-img-item img--landscape" /> Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad delivers a speech at the Kuala Lumpur Summit in December. Photo: DPA More recently, Mahathir’s remarks on India’s recently passed <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3041508/india-new-citizenship-bill-type-list-seen-nazi-germany" class="link-text">Citizenship Amendment Act</a> – which fast-tracks citizenship for nationals of certain neighbouring countries, excluding Muslims – earned Delhi’s ire, with officials there dismissing Malaysia’s criticisms as “factually inaccurate”. Speaking at <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3038829/malaysias-kl-summit-first-step-solving-muslim-worlds" class="link-text">a gathering of Muslim world leaders held in Kuala Lumpur</a> in December, Mahathir said that people were “dying because of this law, so why is there a necessity to do this thing when all this while, for 70 years almost, they have lived together as citizens without any problems?”Last year, Indians and Malaysians waged rival boycott campaigns on social media and although it is unclear how much traction these movements garnered, Khor, the economist, said it was unusual to see such discussions about the palm oil online “as it doesn't involve end consumers”. “But having tens of thousands of mentions of Malaysian palm oil online is a clear sign of issues, meaning that after that episode the level of mentions was 80 per cent higher than previously which gives us some insight into domestic angst,” Khor said. Relations between the two countries have become increasingly frosty since Mahathir’s return to power in May 2018, with disagreements cropping up on various issues, including Putrajaya’s refusal to extradite controversial Muslim preacher <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2118129/who-zakir-naik-muslim-preacher-faces-hate-charges-india" class="link-text">Zakir Naik</a> , who is wanted in India over allegations of money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speech.Naik has permanent resident status in Malaysia and has enjoyed the protection of Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan government, despite his remarks on race politics in the multicultural, Muslim-majority country. See also: <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="73181921" title="Kerala is home to all 3 Indian cities in top 10 fastest-growing in the world" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

You Searched For "Zakir Naik" and got 3 results

Zakir Naik condemns France attacks, denies encouraging terrorism

BI India Bureau

Home Ministry sets one month deadline to decide on the fate of 1500 NGO registrations

BI India Bureau

India bans Malaysian palm oil as diplomatic rift widens

SCMP