Zakir Naik (Islamic Preacher)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Zakir Naik

• Does Zakir Naik smoke?: No

• Does Zakir Naik drink alcohol?: No

• Naik is an Indian Islamic preacher and the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF).

• In 1987, he met Ahmed Deedat (An Islamic Preacher) and got influenced very much.

• In 1991, he got into the field of Dawah (Preachings of Islam).

• In 1994, his first debate took place with the views of Taslima Nasreen on Islam in her book Lajja, organized at the “Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh”, entitled “Is Religious Fundamentalism a Stumbling block to Freedom of Expression?.”

• Naik’s visit and conference in Cardiff drew controversy in August 2006 when Welsh MP David Davies called for his appearance to be cancelled. He labelled Naik a hate-monger.

• In 2010, he was ranked 89 on The Indian Express’s list of the “100 Most Powerful Indians.”

• In July 2013, he was named as the Islamic Personality of the Year by the 17th Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA).

• Naik was listed in the book ‘The 500 Most Influential Muslims‘ under honourable mention, in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013/2014 editions.

• He is facing various cases in India, including for hate speech and for money laundering and residing in other countries to evade the arrest.