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| Great White North | |
| Talk by controversial Islamic preacher cancelled | |
| 2010-07-06 | |
| Controversial televangelist Zakir Naik's talk at North America's largest Islamic gathering Saturday night was considered by many to be "the heart of the journey," but two cancellations later, many are wondering why his voice was stilled. After being banned from Canada for his controversial remarks, Naik was to have given Saturday's keynote address by live video conferencing at Journey of Faith, the Islamic gathering held on the weekend at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. But some 15 minutes before Naik was due to speak his address was suddenly cancelled. "He was asked not to talk, by who I cannot disclose," said conference chairman Said Ragaeh. "But we wanted him to talk. We wanted to hear from him," adding Naik was to clear up what the televangelist says are misconceptions about his past statements. Though not saying how much money the preacher from Mumbai was to be paid, Ragaeh said organizers would have saved "a lot" of the $1.5 million conference budget if Naik's name hadn't been on the bill. The conference will not receive a refund. The 44-year-old native of India held a five-year, multiple-entry visa to Canada from a visit last year to present at the same conference. But officials from the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi telephoned Naik last month to say it been cancelled, a colleague of Naik's at the Islamic Research Foundation in Mumbai told the Star. Earlier in June, Naik was barred from entering Britain because of disparaging
Naik is also notorious for saying "If (Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden) is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him," in a YouTube video titled "Zakir Naik -- Specious explanation about bin Laden." Naik's brother, Naik Mohammad, has said the video clip was filmed in 1996, well before the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. Some attendees of the conference believe Naik has been misrepresented in the media. Sisters Razia and Nadia Ferotan say the preacher is the "perfect representative for Islam," and that his talk was the reason they came from their home in Newcastle. "We were looking forward to it because of all the controversy. We have been watching his speeches online and he has been portrayed as someone he definitely is not and people are really taking his words and mixing them up," says Razia. Attendee Noman Bokhari says the cancellation is "big time disappointing." He says conference goers were looking forward to Naik's speech for the same reason he's not welcome in Canada. "Whoever's speaking truth is not welcome at places sometimes these days," he says. On Sunday, contact information forms were being distributed so that attendees could keep abreast of developments in Naik's banning from Canada. | |
| Posted by:ryuge |