Zakir Naik Is Fanning The Flames Of Hate In Pakistan – OpEd

By Saima William

(UCA News) — In a country where religious tensions are already high, a controversial Indian Islamic preacher’s arrival in Pakistan for a month-long speaking tour has added fuel to the fire.

Zakir Naik, banned in several countries for his inflammatory rhetoric, began his tour on Oct. 1, delivering lectures in major cities like Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

However, instead of promoting understanding, his speeches have further alienated Pakistan’s Christian minority, leaving them hurt, insulted, and increasingly at risk.

Naik is no stranger to controversy. Wanted in India on charges of money laundering and hate speech, he has been banned in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

His television channel, Peace TV, has been blocked in multiple nations for promoting extremist views. His statements often misrepresent Christian beliefs, mocking their faith and distorting biblical references.

This approach is not just disrespectful but dangerous in a country like Pakistan, where religious minorities are already vulnerable to violence and persecution under the guise of blasphemy accusations.

Videos of Naik’s speeches, filled with inflammatory titles, thumbnails and subsequent comments from viewers, are going viral on social media, deepening the divide between religious communities and encouraging more hate.

For Pakistan’s Christian citizens, this is more than just an intellectual debate; it is a deeply personal attack on their faith. Those who attend Naik’s gatherings to ask questions or challenge his views are met with scorn and ridicule. His dismissive and aggressive responses in front of large crowds further emboldened extremists, encouraging hostility toward Christians.

These encounters, shared widely on YouTube, fuel the growing culture of intolerance, leaving Christians feeling cornered in their own country.

What’s more troubling is that this situation highlights a deeper issue of unequal freedom of expression.

Naik seems to enjoy complete freedom to push his views to the extreme — unrestricted in his criticism of Christianity — but Christians do not have the same liberty. They cannot freely explain the Quran from a biblical perspective, but Islamic perspectives are often applied to explain the Bible.

True freedom of expression ends where the rights of others begin, and this imbalance shows that Naik’s rhetoric oversteps those boundaries, as it causes real emotional and spiritual harm to the Christian community.

The arrival of Naik comes at a particularly tense time. In the past year or so alone, Pakistan has witnessed horrific mob attacks on Christian communities, such as the lynching and destruction in Jaranwala in August 2023 and the Sargodha attack in May 2024.

Homes, churches, and businesses were destroyed, and innocent people were injured, with one person even killed in the Sargodha incident. Naik’s inflammatory speeches could further incite violence against Christians, especially in an environment where blasphemy laws are so often misused to target minorities.

The Islamic preacher’s views extend beyond religious intolerance. His comments about women are equally alarming. By promoting extreme, misogynistic ideas — such as criticizing women who work, remain unmarried, or choose not to wear the hijab — Naik is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and deepening the gender divide in Pakistan.

His remarks about women inciting men by being on TV without a hijab or labeling women as bazari aurat (street women) and public property are degrading and dangerous, especially in a society already grappling with issues of gender inequality.

What is most concerning is that Naik is not a Pakistani citizen, yet his presence here is igniting a surge of extremism. His visit, endorsed as a state guest, sends the wrong message — it suggests that Pakistan is willing to accommodate divisive figures at the expense of its own social and religious harmony.

At a time when the nation should be working to heal and foster understanding among its diverse religious communities, inviting a preacher known for spreading hate is a dangerous gamble.

The rise of hate speech, fueled by figures like Naik, is a pressing issue in Pakistan. With the country already reeling from violent attacks on its religious minorities, allowing someone like Naik to speak freely and spread his radical views is irresponsible and reckless.

The government must recognize the potential consequences of his visit and take immediate action to prevent further harm. Pakistan cannot afford to ignore the growing threat of religious extremism and hate speech.

It is time for the government to intervene, end this dangerous rhetoric, and protect the country’s vulnerable communities.

The state’s complicity in allowing such figures to sow division could have devastating consequences. We must not wait for more violence to unfold before realizing the true cost of entertaining extremism.

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.