Centre extends Zakir Naik-led IRF ban by five years
In short
The Union home ministry has extended the ban on Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation by five years. The government says the group poses national security and communal harmony concerns and accuses it of promoting religious hatred.
What the reporting says
The Union home ministry has extended the ban on the Zakir Naik-led Islamic Research Foundation for five more years, citing national security, communal disharmony and threats to the country’s secular fabric. The government said Naik and the organisation promoted religious hatred and allegedly inspired youths to commit terrorist acts. The IRF was first banned in 2016 and the restriction was renewed in 2021.
Why it matters
The Union home ministry has extended the five-year ban on the Zakir Naik-led Islamic Research Foundation, citing national security, communal disharmony and threats to the secular fabric. The government said Naik and the group promoted religious hatred and allegedly inspired youths to commit terrorist acts. The order continues a restriction first imposed in 2016 and renewed in 2021.