New Delhi: Congress veteran Digivjay Singh has found himself in the midst of another controversy after a 2012 video shows him showering praise on controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik who is under scanner over allegations of having influenced Dhaka attackers.
Digvijay had shared stage with Naik in 2012 during a conference where he had called the controversial religious leader a "messenger of peace who can help bring communities together in India."
On his part, the Congress leader has admitted that he did share stage with Naik but said he had spoken against religious fundamentalism and appealed for communal harmony. He further said that if the government had anything against Naik, it was free to investigate and act against him.
“It is true that I participated in his programme. I spoke about attacking all communal elements. I also appealed for communal harmony. Let the government investigate,” Digvijay Singh said today.
However, the leader is now being slammed on social media with pictures of him hugging the controversial Islamic preacher being circulated under the title "friend" of Naik.
The BJP has also hit out at Digvijaya for sharing the dais with Zakir Naik. "Congress party’s sympathies are always with terrorist organisations. So this is not surprising for us," BJP national spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.
Zakir Naik is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) and founder of the ‘comparative religion’ Peace TV channel, through which he reaches a reported 100 million viewers.
He reportedly has immense following in Bangladesh, and it is believed that two of the attackers who laid siege to a café in Dhaka -- that ended with 22 people dead – were inspired by him.
Banned in many countries across the world, Naik has also faced criticism for his views on terrorism. Speaking of Osama bin Laden, Naik stated in a YouTube video that he would not criticise him because he had not met him and did not know him personally.
"If bin Laden is fighting enemies of Islam, I am for him," and that "if he is terrorizing America – the terrorist, biggest terrorist – I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. The thing is that if he is terrorizing the terrorist, he is following Islam," he had said.
Meanwhile, Naik had on Wednesday denied that he ever said that all Muslims should be terrorists. He claimed that the video which allegedly shows him making the statement was doctored.
