Zakir Naik on NDTV talk show – A Review

Zakir Naik on NDTV talk show – A Review

NDTV talk show : We the People
Topic : Being Muslim in today’s India
Telecasted on : 07-March-2010

For the first time Dr. Zakir Naik appeared on NDTV’s famous talk show “We the People” and has won many accolades in the past. It is a weekly show on NDTV that discusses serious political and social issues. It brings together a crafty mix of opinion leaders who are allowed to shout at the same time while Barkha goes about outshouting them and cutting short anyone’s who gets close to convincingly making an untimely point by dictating she’s running out of time.

The show is guaranteed to stir up the adrenalin and stress out its vast TV audience across the country and abroad. But that’s not quite why March 7th show on the “Indian Muslim identity” got my attention. It’s because the show, featured in all that restrictive din, the renowned and dynamic International orator on Islam and Comparative Religion, Dr. Zakir Naik.

Dr. Naik, as millions of his fans around the world will agree, can be captivating with his detailed explanations from his exhaustive knowledge of the scriptures of the major religions. Talking about Barkha, and one would observe how she cut short Dr. Naik just as he was beginning to make a larger point on the 9/11 attacks. (Dr. Naik’s point is better explained in his DVDs and also on an earlier “Walk the Talk” NDTV show, a no-shouting, one-on-one interview format hosted by Shekhar Gupta). Infact she cut short Dr. Naik on all the occasions when he spoke… giving him total maximum of 3 minutes of time in the 60 minute show.

What ensued fortunately in the Barkha show was that Dr. Naik ended up making a few good points and also, unfortunately he also ended up giving a few stark one-liners in the limited amount of time he was given, such as Osama Bin Laden is “neither a terrorist nor a saint” and that, based on a DVD released by 75 top American analysts and professors, 9/11 was an inside job. He was not allowed to clarify on what he said.

Dr. Naik, whose Peace TV has more viewers than ‘We the People’, could only remain silent after Barkha’s interruption with a sneering ‘C’mon…’ and what appeared to be quick rebuttal from the other panelists. Najeeb Jung, vice chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, butted in to say that the debate was falling to “ridiculous” levels while Moulana Mahmoud Madani, leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, declared that that Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and their supporters were all working against Islam.

The other panelists, comprising of some so-called muslims, Shah Rukh Khan, ad-man Alyque Padamsee, filmmakers Karan Johar and Kabir Khan, and actor Soha Ali Khan, played it commercially safe by dwelling on their various takes on what they thought Muslim identity should ideally be, bearded or unbearded, capped or uncapped, veiled or unveiled. As for Shahrukh, he was definitely here to promote his movie ‘My Name is Khan’.

I believe Dr Zakir Naik, boldly spoke out the truth, without fearing anyone unlike others. His confidence showed his trust on Allah and how he can go to any limit to speak the truth without fearing anything… however given the history of this show, this was not a podium where he should have taken a bait for… he definitely deserves better.

The review below is extracted (with little modification) from a review by : Imran Ali

The moment I heard Dr. Zakir Naik is taking part in the NDTV talk show “We the People”, I made myself available to see how this time Barkha Dutt is going to sideline the arguments of a renounced personality. Well I forgot that there is a level of dishonesty from her side using which she can sideline just anyone. As expected, he was not given enough chance to speak and the focus was completely on Shahrukh Khan of Bollywood. Not just that, second person who got the chance to speak more was Karan Johar!

Anyways, Here is my little analysis:

Let’s begin from the right side of the screen.

Kabir Khan: This fellow seems to be a result of too much pestering by his parents on following Islam, without actually having explained to him why he is required to follow it. Guess he never knew why and what Islam is all about. He appears to be apologetic and wants to run away from real Islam! He was actively using the word “moderate Muslims”, referring to himself and people alike. But the moment Dr. Zakir Naik said that there is nothing called liberal,moderate, or extremists Muslims and instead there is only practicing or non practicing Muslims, this guy changes his word and retracts suddenly saying “the so-called Muslims”. He knew he cannot speak Garbage about Islam in front of Dr. Naik or Moulana Madani.

Moulana Mahmoud Madani: I found him quite an interesting person with proper intelligence in handling such situations. He too, like Zakir Naik, got very less time to respond. So he did not go for any explanations and simply used humor and pushed the ball to others. However, he did raise good question on stereotyping a Muslim with a beard as against Non bearded Muslim.

Alyque Padamsee: This person renounced religion and is, correct me if I am wrong, an atheist. But he does speak a lot in favor of Islamic scholars who actively denounce killing of innocents. He also appreciated the stance taken by scholars in denouncing terrorism. Since this guy doesn’t believe in any religion, he has nothing to lose! (Ahem! I mean in this show)

Karan Johar: Being a Non Muslim, he did proper analysis and was sincere and fair in his statements. He did raise fingers on those educated people who try to take anti-Muslim stance. He also stated that the reason he took up the project of making films depicting Islam to be opposite of what is portrayed by western media is because of an incident where 6 Non Muslim educated graduates were talking crap and wrong about Islam and that he wanted to correct this ideology which might be amongst millions of people around the world after watching western media. He also frankly spoke about the Hijab problems, the restriction of personal freedom, the issue of personal choice and about attaching religion to evil acts. In reality, he spoke better on behalf of Islam than the Ghalib fan, Najeeb Jung!

Shahrukh Khan: On this kind of podium he is well versed in handling such Media based dialogues that requires special skills of answering in just one or two sentences. Shahrukh has been speaking about him being Muslim and how proud he is to follow Islam in many of his talks lately. But his ignorance of Islam oozes out when he emphasizes on feeling Islam than following it. He also says he is okay if his children call themselves as Christian, Hindu or anything else. In his previous interviews, he also approved of idol worship. He has an idol temple in his home and he approves of it. He also commented about his son referring to an idol as, ‘Ganpati Allah’.

(Check this here http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bombay-times/Communal-harmony-Bollywood-style/articleshow/131812.cms)

As far as the teachings of Islam are concerned, this is a grave Kufr. A belief of this kind takes people out of the fold of Islam entirely. This brings him under the ruling of committing clear kufr. There is no room for any kind of Kufr in Islam. He also adds that he is a bad follower of Islam and that his film acting is against Islamic rules. He talks about scholars being specialists in Islam, yet he propagates his version of belief that his children can call themselves Non Muslims. Ain’t that contradictory?  This shows that either he is just speaking few good things about Islam to gain popularity amongst Muslim audience (Allah knows best) or just babbling and trying to show that he knows Islam. All in all, the guy first needs to pull himself out of Kufr and speak about Islamic aspects later. Some hardcore Muslim fan of his might argue that maybe he was like that in the past and now he must have changed… but it does not looks like that to me. His statements and beliefs of yesteryear showed he committed Kufr as well as his present statements shows that he is still committing kufr. Unless he stops committing Kufr, he cannot call himself a Muslim because Muslims belief (i.e. Imaan) and kufr don’t go hand in hand, they are rather two opposites. A person can either be a Muslim or be a Non Muslim. There is no role in between these two called half Muslim and half Non Muslim.

A few statements made by Shahrukh Khan on the NDTV Talk Show

SRK was asked, “If your kids asked you what is your religion, what would you say.”
SRK replied, “My daughter asked me one day, she came back, and said teacher or somebody asked if she was Hindu or Muslim, and I said to her say you are Christian, its absolutely alright. We are Indians, let’s not go there. But yes I make them pray as much as I can in the Islamic way”.
Barkha interjects saying, “Both Faiths”.
He replied, “My wife does it in her faith. And the fact is we are very clear, we accept it with ease.”

My comments: This statement is approval of idol-worship and considering it Ibaadah (prayer). This is a call of Bidah, misguidance that leads to Kufr (disbelief).

SRK: “I just want to know very clearly, and I am a Muslim – Is it more important for me to look Muslim and see Muslim, or to feel Muslim. I fully respect the scriptures, I fully respect all the hadiths, I’ve read the Quran in my own way, in Arabic and in English, but I think the time has come, and this genuinely is an appeal, it is more important to feel Muslim, than to look it. And if you do its absolutely cool, and if you don’t its absolutely cool.”

My comments: “Deen based on feelings” is another modernist hoax by which people’s desires are given credence over the revealed texts. And this is one of the main foundations of the modernist call. This is exactly how Christian-modernists, managed in the eighteen century to destroy what rules and regulations remained in Christianity. Naturally, SRK makes a passionate appeal in support of it, trying to give his ideas of Kufr authority by mentioning that he has read the Quran. One cannot feel Islam without practicing it.

SRK: “Namaaz – I was always taught niyat (intention) se padhi jati hai. You have to believe in it yourself. No body can teach you. We are taught 5 waqt ki namaaz padna zaroori hai, but not every muslim follows it.”
When he was asked, “Do you follow it?”
He replied, “No, I’m not able to follow it, and I’m very honest about it. I’d love to but I can’t. But I think of Allah every moment of my life.”

My comments: Both – the faith as well as the prayer are taught and learnt. And as for being honest, then what he is really being is shameless – in front of Allah and the people. Prayer is the most important of actions in Islam, to the extent that it is the shield between Faith and disbelief, and is the first thing the slave will be questioned about.

SRK: “Yes, we can clarify views on Islam how much ever knowledge of Islam we have, depending on that, but we have really never gone out and started stating that this religion is good or bad, or nice or fantastic”

My comment: This is denying the superiority of Islam, and it being the only religion acceptable to Allah. He said the same in an interview after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai.

An appeal to his Muslim fans: You may consider him good actor, nice person, good intellect and your favorite personality, but don’t make the mistake of learning Islam from him or get mesmerized by his statements on Islam. Unless he denounces kufr, he cannot be trusted on his words about Islam. Anyone who agrees with the Kufr that he speaks, has himself fallen into Kufr. Take my 2 cents, Becoming fans of personalities like Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) or his companions will be worthwhile in this life and in hereafter. The most ideal and best role-model for humankind is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

If you really want to be a fan of a person who comes on TV and Videos, then a million times better hero than Shahrukh Khan was sitting on the center stage who was ignored by the Media; That was Dr. Zakir Naik!

We can only pray to Allah to give Shahrukh Khan hidayah and get him to the true path of Islam.

Soha Ali Khan: This lady had no clue why she was sitting there. Looks like she owed to NDTV or else why would NDTV punish her by making her sit in the show?  This woman has no idea what Islam is nor does she know what faith is. She says her religion is a personal matter with God. Gosh! such a pathetic argument of the past. It’s no use talking about her role in the show.

Dr. Zakir Naik: He needs to understand that such shows are meant to just punch each others argument with a single liner. One cannot try to explain big concepts in just few seconds. Although his statements were bold, huge and true; too much of noise pollution sidelined them to some extent. To top this, Burkha dutt as expected did not give fair time to Dr Zakir Naik. This was clearly evident.

But hold on, that’s Zakir Naik  ! He just doesn’t walk away without really sparking a thought process in people’s mind irrespective of how much time he is given. And as i thought, he did the same. If you carefully observe his statements, they tickled the brain of the viewers who would later go and check its authenticity. He knew there were millions of people watching the show (including viewers who don’t watch Peace TV) and he took this as a golden opportunity to ignite the spark of re-investigating the 911 attack, which was the origin of this entire concept of Terrorism and Muslims getting stereotyped.

He cleared informed there were 75  DVDs released of top American analysts and professors who proved that 911 was inside job. He also quoted two site names before Burkha Dutt cut him off. He quoted “http://911truth.org” (and one more site name which slipped my mind). People would surely go back and check these and hence find out the truth for themselves. So even though time given to him was not fair, he completed his job. He made the following punching lines:

• There is nothing called moderate or liberal Muslim. There is only Practicing Muslim, Partially practicing Muslim and Non Practicing Muslim.
• It is a duty of a Muslim to tell others about the truth of Islam.
• Blaming Osama bin laden or Taliban to be Terrorists based on CNN and BBC versions is wrong and unfair. It is important to give fair hearing to such allegations and check the truth before blaming someone to be terrorists. The videos shown are nothing but morphed which generally Media is good at.
• 911 was an inside job and cannot be performed by Arabs.
• Physical appearance (beard, cap etc) do not come under 70 major sins of Islam. So there are more important things over and above the physical appearance in Islam. But to follow complete Islam, physical look is important.

These statements were more than enough to make people think twice about their stance. Shahrukh himself was carefully listening to these arguments and looked impressed. (That’s my observation, maybe I am wrong).

Also he boldly spoke out the truth, without fearing anyone unlike others. His confidence showed his trust on Allah and how he can go to any limit to speak the truth without fearing anything.

All in all, Zakir Naik completed his Dawah to all the viewers of NDTV! May Allah preserve him!

Najeeb Jung: This person looked like one of those who everyone in the show were referring as “Lunatic Fringe”! Well actually this word was being used by all the “so called” Muslims on the center stage (except Dr. Naik and Moulana Madani) for the scholars of Islam. But in reality, all of them were a part of that “Lunatic Fringe” team. The guy sounded more like a Zionist than a Muslim. Well what can i comment on him, lets leave him to his own person.

The best part was when a bearded elderly man (Dr. Shoeb, ain’t that you), asked if Islam has multiple definitions or just one definition from Quran and Sunnah. He raised this question whenever every “moderate” Muslim on the center stage were giving their version of definition of Islam. One said, you must feel Islam; while another one said you must not show Islam, while the third one said “Islam is my private matter with God”! (LOL)

Conclusion of this show:

• Shahrukh and karan were given more time compared to others as if only they represent Islam.
• The show disrespected such eminent personalities of Muslim world like Dr. Zakir Naik and Moulana Mahmoud Madani by not allowing them to speak about the topic.
• Barkha Dutt once again showed her biasness towards wanting Muslims to give up their real Islam and adopt the so called modern Islam. She mercilessly called the scholars of Islam as “Lunatics” and kept on giving opportunity to those who would speak against the real Islam. The whole show looked like a pre-planned setup and not a natural debate.

We expect better show quality from NDTV and fair anchor-ship from Barkha Dutt!

Watch the entire episode:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyh9jP3FbV8&feature=related

You can catch Zakir Naik on his web channel Peace TV by clicking on this link.

Also Read :

‘Walk the Talk’ with Dr. Zakir Naik
NDTV Talk Show ANALYSIS – Dr. Zakir Naik