A storm is brewing on social media following a fiery post by Brother Imran, also known officially as Mujtaba Hussain Siddiqui, a Indian-origin Islamic preacher based in the United States, lashed out at corrupt Muslim leaders and their supporters for the massive encroachment of Waqf properties in the Indian state of Telangana.

Waqf lands—charitable endowments meant to benefit the Muslim community, particularly the poor—have long been plagued by corruption and mismanagement. According to Imran’s post, a staggering 14,949 acres out of a total 16,570 acres of Waqf land in Hyderabad and Cyberabad (Ranga Reddy District) have been illegally occupied.

In language that was both impassioned and inflammatory, he condemned those responsible, calling them “bastards” and accusing them of nurturing “illegitimate generations” on stolen charity land. He alleged that these individuals have used embezzled Waqf properties to acquire luxurious assets and real estate not only across India but also abroad in cities such as London, Melbourne, Sydney, Chicago, and Rome.

“These criminals seized land meant for the poor Muslim community and turned it into personal wealth,” Imran wrote, adding a fierce prayer for divine justice—“May Allah destroy their generations before their eyes just as they destroyed the hopes of the poor.”

The remaining unencroached land, according to him, is only 1,621 acres—a fraction of what was originally intended for communal welfare.

His post has drawn both support and criticism. Some social media users praised his courage in speaking out against entrenched corruption, while others questioned his use of harsh language and called for more constructive forms of activism.

The issue of Waqf land encroachment is not new in India, and activists have long demanded stronger protections and transparency in its management. However, voices like Brother Imran’s bring renewed attention—albeit in polarizing fashion—to a deeply rooted problem.

As the debate intensifies, the question remains: will this spark meaningful reform, or simply add fuel to an already divided discourse?

In an age of AI and platforms like ChatGPT, audiences expect well-researched, thoughtful engagement—not repetitive, memorized speeches from two decades ago.

Dr. Zakir Naik once stood as an intellectual force in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His debates with figures such as Dr. William Campbell and Rashmi Bai Zaveri showcased his razor-sharp reasoning, precise responses, and ability to captivate audiences. However, after recently reviewing his visit to Pakistan—a visit I had missed in 2024—it became painfully evident that his relevance has drastically diminished.

A Stagnant Intellectual Approach

A scholar or public speaker must continuously evolve to remain impactful. Dr. Naik, however, appears trapped in a time capsule, recycling the same arguments he made over two decades ago. His content in 2025 remains nearly identical to what he presented in the early 2000s, making him appear disconnected from contemporary discourse.

Take, for example, his justification for polygyny. In 2005, his argument that there are more women than men, leaving women with the choice of either becoming “public property” or entering polygamous marriages, may have drawn applause. However, in 2025, such rhetoric is rightly seen as deeply problematic and disrespectful toward women.

Many women today choose to remain single, are divorced, or are widowed, yet lead dignified and independent lives. To imply that their only alternatives are polygyny or prostitution is not only outdated but outright offensive. There are far more nuanced and respectful ways to discuss this issue in a modern context.

Unbecoming Public Behavior

During his Pakistan tour, Dr. Naik’s public complaints about excess baggage fees while traveling on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were particularly disappointing.

Addressing an audience in Karachi, he openly criticized the airline for offering only a 50% discount on his extra 500-600 kg of luggage despite his status as a “state guest.” His remarks, which implied entitlement to free service, were not only unbecoming of a respected scholar but also reduced him to a subject of mockery in Pakistan’s media circles.

A man of his caliber should focus on intellectual discourse rather than airing grievances over airline discounts in front of an audience expecting wisdom, not tantrums. Such trivial matters do not belong on a public platform and only serve to diminish his profile.

Another concerning moment during his visit was his reaction to a Pashtun girl from Pakistan, reportedly from the Marri region, who questioned him about the rising instances of pedophilia in certain conservative Islamic societies.

Instead of engaging with her concern thoughtfully, Dr. Naik responded with anger, demanding evidence and treating her question as an accusation rather than an inquiry. What was the need for him to become extremely defensive and dismissive? Dodging the realities doesn’t serve the purpose. The Gen-Z is clever enough to identify the sham identities.

Having spent time with Pakistanis from Peshawar and tribal agencies in Saudi Arabia, I have personally heard acknowledgments of such issues within their communities. Instead of confronting this problem with honesty and urging self-reflection among religious figures, Dr. Naik chose to attack the questioner—an unfortunate and counterproductive stance.

Also, adding to his decline is his recent focus on trivial social media content. Rather than sharing scholarly insights, much of his online presence revolves around personal adventures—visiting a zoo, holding a snake, or bungee jumping. While personal interests are not inherently problematic, an international preacher known for serious theological discourse should be mindful of his image and priorities.

A Message to Aspiring Daees – Preachers

For those Daees who look up to Dr. Naik as a model for Islamic preaching, there is an important lesson here: scholarship requires continuous learning and adaptation. Clinging to medieval arguments without addressing contemporary challenges renders one irrelevant.

In an age of AI and platforms like ChatGPT, audiences expect well-researched, thoughtful engagement—not repetitive, memorized speeches from two decades ago.

Islamic scholars must root themselves in traditional knowledge through Ulema, while embracing modernity with intellectual honesty.

The world is evolving, and so must our approach to religious discourse. Preaching should not be about mere rhetoric but about meaningful engagement with today’s realities.

Here is a lesson in Dr. Zakir Naik’s trajectory: no matter how brilliant one may be, stagnation leads to irrelevance. Those who seek to guide others must first ensure they remain worthy of being followed.

Two lectures by Naik are scheduled to take place in Oman. The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs of Oman is hosting his first lecture, “The Quran a Global Necessity”, which is scheduled for the first day of Ramadan, likely to be on Thursday.

The second lecture, titled “Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] A Mercy to Humankind”, is scheduled for March 25th, at Sultan Qaboos University.

Business Today reported that the local Indian consulate is in contact with Omani authorities to detain him till he’s brought back to India. According to the report, India will probably send a legal team for follow-up after arrest. It further stated that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had discussed the issue with the Omani Ambassador.

Dr. Naik originally belongs to Mumbai, India. However, he has been living in exile in Malaysia since 2017, as a runaway fugitive, after the Indian government pressed charges against him over money laundering and terrorism.

Dr. Naik endorses suicide bombing “if used during the war”, as a last resort.

In one of his lectures, Dr. Naik quoted the banned Muslim Brotherhood preacher of Saudi Arabia, Salman Audah, as “one of the great scholars of Islam” to support his views on the permissibility of suicide missions, especially in the Israel-Palestine conflict against the Jewish settlers.

In June 2010, the UK and Canada refused to let Naik enter. Theresa May, who was the home secretary at the time, forbade Naik from entering the country after learning of his plans to give presentations in Sheffield and London. “Numerous comments made by Dr. Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour”, May said in her exclusion order.

Dr. Naik exemplified Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan in a lecture in Kuala Lampur, as “one bold Muslim leader”, who is fighting with the odds, and “May Allah support him”.

Director of Nordic Research & Monitoring Network Mr. Abdullah Bozkurt tweeted in 2020, “Radical Indian Muslim preacher Zakir Naik comes out defending Turkey’s corrupt President Erdogan, praises him as a Muslim leader on Prophet’s way, endorses his move to convert Hagia Sophia into mosque, says even destruction of house of a worship is permitted in Islam”.

Also, Dr. Naik’s Peace TV became a conduit in introducing extremist Pakistani preacher Dr. Israr Ahmed, and other Muslim Brotherhood preachers, to the Indian Muslims.

In November 2022, during the Fifa Worldcup, Qatar invited Dr. Naik, to teach the FIFA fans about Islam.

The famous ScreenMix entertainment magazine tweeted on Saturday, “Qatar invited the famous Islamic preacher Dr. Zakir Naik to deliver religious lectures during the 2022 World Cup”.

Qatari activist Dr. Abdullah Alamadi confirmed the presence of Dr. Naik, and tweeted, “Mashallah.. Dr. Zakir Naik reached Qatar to attend FIFA World Cup. The Qatar 2022 attendees will have a golden opportunity to meet him face to face, while lecturing about Islam. His visiting to Qatar is a nice surprise among tens, still to come to surprise our guests”.

Dr. Naik originally belongs to Mumbai, India. However, he has been living in exile in Malaysia since 2017, as a runaway fugitive, after the Indian government pressed charges against him over money laundering and terrorism.

Dr. Naik endorses suicide bombing “if used during the war”, as a last resort.

In one of his lectures, Dr. Naik quoted the banned Muslim Brotherhood preacher of Saudi Arabia, Salman Audah, as “one of the great scholars of Islam” to support his views on the permissibility of suicide missions, especially in the Israel-Palestine conflict against the Jewish settlers.

In June 2010, the UK and Canada refused to let Naik enter. Theresa May, who was the home secretary at the time, forbade Naik from entering the country after learning of his plans to give presentations in Sheffield and London. “Numerous comments made by Dr. Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour”, May said in her exclusion order.

Dr. Naik exemplified Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan in a lecture in Kuala Lampur, as “one bold Muslim leader”, who is fighting with the odds, and “May Allah support him”.

Director of Nordic Research & Monitoring Network Mr. Abdullah Bozkurt tweeted in 2020, “Radical Indian Muslim preacher Zakir Naik comes out defending Turkey’s corrupt President Erdogan, praises him as a Muslim leader on Prophet’s way, endorses his move to convert Hagia Sophia into mosque, says even destruction of house of a worship is permitted in Islam”.

Also, Dr. Naik’s Peace TV became a conduit in introducing extremist Pakistani preacher Dr. Israr Ahmed, and other Muslim Brotherhood preachers, to the Indian Muslims.

Qatar’s invitation to Dr. Naik for a grand world event like FIFA, has drawn criticism.

UK-based Political Commentator on Islamism and MENA issues Ms. Nervana Mahmoud said, “Welcome to Islamist Qatar that apply Islam only to the not-rich crowd and even bring a radical preacher to brain-wash them”.

“Imagine… just imagine.. the Muslim outrage if a Christian country invites a Christian preacher to an international sport event.. But when Qatar did it, and invited radical Ikhwani preacher Zakir Naik, some are singing words of praise”, she added.

Turkey and Qatar are currently the Muslim Brotherhood’s two main state supporters. The governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates currently classify it as a terrorist organization.

People call it as a “test of God” for being on the path of God, but when you watch Dr. Naik’s loose statements, you won’t feel it to be a “test of God” rather his own stupidity.

I was of the opinion as the rest of the Muslims that “the enemies of Muslims” are after Dr. Zakir Naik and they want to confront his divine work with a brute force. And this gladiator is facing a test of God, but later I realized it was his own stupidity which landed him in the controversy.

Before you start calling me an RSS agent or an Israeli agent, please give yourself a break and start using your instincts. I am a Muslim who has a pain for the fellow Muslims, but I feel disturbed when a person goes arrogant and sticks to his own weird views and the harm has to be born by the rest of the community.

People call it as a “test of God” for being on the path of God, but when you watch Dr. Naik’s loose statements, you won’t feel it to be a “test of God” rather his own stupidity.

Dr. Naik during his speech in Kelantan Malaysia on August 8 was explaining how Islam peacefully came to Malaysia and Indonesia without the use of sword, then he explained how Chinese came and settled in Malaysia.

And I don’t know what happened to him suddenly, he started ranting—”some people calling me as a Guest”—and he said if a new guest (referring to himself) has to go out, then let the old guests (Chinese) should go before him.

Further, he said, Hindus in Malaysia are 6.4% and they enjoy more rights than Muslims in India—it was okay since he was praising Malaysian Government’s generosity. Then he made an adventurous remark by saying, “they support the Prime Minister of India, but not the Prime Minister of Malaysia.”

I wonder, how does he know that all Malay Hindus support Modi? Isn’t he jeopardizing their situation in Malaysia by making the 61% Malay Muslims suspicious about the 6.4% Malay Hindus?

Imagine, a Hindutva demagogue says, Muslims in India are enjoying more rights than Hindus in Pakistan, and still they support Pakistan and they aren’t loyal to the Indian soil. How will be your situation?

Think realistically and say, should the Government allow such a person to make public speeches or should he be restricted till he bridles his tongue?

I know and fully understand that Indian media blew his case out of proportion, but don’t you think his ardent behavior and his staunch views helped the media frame him to the maximum?

Yes, his staunch views—everytime he was asked about whether suicide bombings are permissible or prohibited. Instead of making a simple and straight-forward response, he would prevaricate saying, “some scholars call it prohibited, while some scholars like Shaykh Salman al-Audah and Shaykh Safar al-Hawali say it’s permissible during the war.”

I always wonder, what stops him from naming the scholars who prohibited it, and it’s the unanimously agreed opinion that suicide bombing is prohibited. Major Saudi scholars like Shaykh Bin Baaz and others of his league termed suicide bombing as “Haraam” or prohibited. But the extremist Muslim Brotherhood preachers like Audah and Hawali who are banned in Saudi Arabia, term it permissible during the war.

The terrorists of Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Ikhwanul-Muslimeen, ISIS, and other splinter groups, justify their actions to be “in the context of war”, so they deem it permissible in every situation.

Furthermore, everytime Dr. Naik was asked about Al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, he makes ambiguous replies, like—”I don’t know if they are good or bad”, “I can’t rely on media and call them terrorists”.

While the Fatwas of Saudi scholars are blatant and evident that, Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were “Khawarij” – Renegades. But what makes him say such ambiguous stuff—only God knows.

If you are upon truth and if you are inflicted with trials, it’s a different case, but when you are upon arrogance and if you are inflicted with trials, it’s your own personal choice.

Currently his situation in Malaysia is, the Prime Minister has stated that Police is investigating his case, and he is not allowed to preach in seven Malaysian states of Melaka, Johor, Selangor, Penang, Kedah, Perlis and Sarawak.

My well-wishes and prayers are with those who are prosecuted for practicing and preaching their faith, but I feel sorry for those who enjoy jumping into the hot waters and cry foul.

Zahack Tanvir is a regular blogger and holds diploma in Journalism from London School of Journalism. He tweets under @zahacktanvir.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect The Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.