DR. ZAKIR NAIK DID NOT INTERPRET ANYTHING.

After reading the letter of Mr. A. Faizur Rahman under heading "Shun Intolerance" in The Hindu dated 5th March 2010, I viewed the you tube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzc_jhaWxw0 referred to by him. In my opinion the writer has distorted what Dr. Zakir Naik answered to a question and blamed him.It is not fair. Dr. Zakir Naik did not interpret anything at all. One also feels that publication of such letters will not serve any purpose. The Hindu is a secular and national daily reputed for its careful coverage of news and views. It should not have published this letter. You can yourself view the video and decide. Mr. A. Faizur Rahman is not correct in blaming Dr. Zakir Naik on this issue.

                                        V.M. Khaleelur Rahman,



I entirely agree with Kasim Sait (Letters, March 4) when he says that the contrarian view of intolerance in Islam is strengthened by interpretations of televangelists such as Zakir Naik. According to Naik, a renegade from Islam who converts to another religion should be killed if he propagates that religion because it amounts to “causing corruption”, “spreading things which are unpeaceful” and hence, treason (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzc_jhaWxw0, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMAZR8YIhxI).

The truth is that there is absolutely nothing in the Koran or the authentic teachings of the Prophet that supports Zakir Naik's definition of treason. Preachers like him need to be reminded of the Prophet's warning; eeyakum wal ghulu fiddeen, fa innahu ahlaka man kaana qablakum al ghulu fiddeen which translates as; “Eschew extremism in religion, for extremism has destroyed its practitioners in the past (Ibn Maaja).”

A. Faizur Rahman
Chennai