Bengaluru/Doha, November 21: According to insiders, hugely controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik is in Qatar to give religious lectures throughout the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup which began on Sunday (November 20) at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.
Sports channel Alkass, anchor Faisal Alhajri announced Naik's presence in Qatar on Twitter.
"Preacher Sheikh Zakir Naik is present in Qatar during the World Cup and will give many religious lectures throughout the tournament." tweeted Faisal.
Zakir is one of India's most wanted fugitives and is facing multiple charges like money laundering, terror-related activities, etc.
He fled to Malaysia in 2016 after the Indian government launched a crackdown on him and his Islamic Research Foundation.
The Government of India had outlawed Zakir's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) late in 2016, on the charges of encouraging and assisting the group's followers in "promoting or attempting to promote feelings of enmity, hatred, or ill-will between different religious communities and groups."
In March 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs declared IRF an unlawful association and outlawed it for five years.
Zakir, who shot to fame during the 1990s over his activities of da'wah (an act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam) through IRF, is also the founder of the 'comparative religion' Peace TV. The channel reportedly has a reach of over 100 million viewers, many of whom regard him as an exponent of the Salafi (a reform moment within the Sunni community) ideology.
To evade the law, Naik relocated to Malaysia. Even though he has permanent residency in Malaysia, the country also banned Naik from giving speeches in the interests of "national security" in 2020.
Meanwhile, Qatar lost 0-2 to Ecuador in the opening match of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Ecuador's all-time top scorer, Enner Valencia, nicknamed Superman at home, scored an early penalty and added a well-taken 31st-minute header to give the South Americans a commanding first-half lead as the Qataris looked overcome by the enormity of the occasion at the 60,000-seater stadium.
Al Annabi next take on Senegal at the Al Thumama Stadium on Friday (November 25) before winding up their group engagements on November 29 with the game against the Netherlands at Al Bayt Stadium again.