Paraphrasing and Referencing Exercise :
“Malaysian ministers seek action against Zakir Naik for questioning patriotism of Hindus in the country”
Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran, and Minister of Water, Land and Natural Resources YB Xavier Jayakumar had raised the matter in the Cabinet of Malaysia on Tuesday drawing the attention of Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad. (ZEE News, 14 August 2019)
In a move against controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, three ministers of the Malaysia Cabinet has sought action against him asking for his expulsion from the country. The move comes after Naik’s controversial statement in a recent event in Kota Bharu questioning the patriotism and loyalty of the Hindus in Malaysia. (ZEE News, 14 August 2019)
All the ministers had issued statements slamming Naik accusing him of trying to create a fissure in a multi-ethnic and religious society of the country, adding that they raise objections to Naik holding any further events in Malaysia. They also called Naik’s presence in Malaysia as “embarrassing to all Malaysians”. (ZEE News, 14 August 2019)
“We have raised with the Prime Minister and the Cabinet this morning, the issue of the presence of Zakir Naik in Malaysia and the recent event held by him in Kota Bharu over the weekend and other statements he has made which have caused controversy. We have expressed our position which is that action must be taken and that Zakir Naik should no longer be allowed to remain in Malaysia. The Prime Minister has taken note of our concerns. We leave it to him to consider the position and to decide soonest possible what will be done to deal with the problem. We also reiterate the concerns raised by many over speeches and statements of his which have been inflammatory in nature. We, therefore, express our objections to Zakir Naik in the meanwhile, holding any further events here in Malaysia or making further statements which impact on race relations and public order, said Deo in a statement. (ZEE News, 14 August 2019)
