Political analyst Prof Ahmad Atory Hussain said Zakir should be allowed entry into the country.
“It is not right to prejudge him. But I urge the authorities to take action against him if he condemns any religion.
“It can be Hinduism or Islam. Islam has many schools of thought, too. If he wants to give talks in Malaysia, he has to know the Islamic beliefs here.”
If Zakir utters remarks that are offensive to other religions, he should be reprimanded, said Ahmad Atory.
Lawyer Syahredzan Johan said action should be taken against Zakir if his speech promotes extremism or violence.
“Charge him after his speech, but he should be allowed to talk.
“But we cannot stop others just because we hate what the others are saying,” he said in his Facebook page today.
Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Rawa said there should be no controversy surrounding Zakir as he has not been involved in any wrongful activity.
“If he was, the Malaysian government should have known it and put a stop to him.
“He is not allowed to enter Canada. If we wanted to do the same, the government should have done the same earlier.
“He is now the official guest of the Terengganu government. If he is not allowed to enter now, it would be a shame. That means the Malaysian government did not do its homework.”
Assistant professor at International Islamic University Dr Maszlee Malik agreed with Mujahid.
He said Zakir is a soft-spoken preacher and does not condemn other religions.
“I urge non-Muslims to hear him out to get a clearer picture on Islam.”
Zakir’s presence in Malaysia has ruffled feathers, with MIC Youth reportedly lodging multiple police reports against him.
Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) had also asked the government to ban the preacher from entering the country.
Zakir, who is the Islamic Research Foundation president, started a series of lectures in Terengganu last week at the invitation of the state government.
He was scheduled to talk at the hockey stadium in Bukit Jalil on April 16, in a forum titled “Is the Quran God’s Word?”
Zakir last visited Malaysia in 2012. His presence then also received similar protests from the Hindu community.
Police had banned the orator from giving a talk, entitled “Similarities Between Hinduism and Islam”, organised by Universiti Teknikal Malaysia in Malacca on April 17.
Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said police would not allow the talk based on public order and sensitivities of the multi-religious society.