Jamil said no untoward incident occurred at any of the Mumbai-based preacher’s events in the country.
“Maybe those who oppose him have never been to any of his programmes,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Jamil, who is in charge of Islamic affairs, said this in response to a question by Ahmad Marzuk Shaary (PAS-Bachok), who wanted the government to state its stand on Zakir’s presence in the country and comment on a protest by a group of “liberal activists”.
Earlier this month, 19 people, including Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy and lawyer Siti Kasim, filed a suit against the government for allegedly harbouring Zakir.
The 19 accused the preacher, who is a citizen of India, of encouraging “terrorism in public”.
The group also claimed that Zakir’s presence in Malaysia was a serious threat to the country’s safety.
Zakir, who was a Maal Hijrah Award recipient three years ago, came to Malaysia last year to give a series of talks, including in Terengganu, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur.
This year, in January, he delivered a sermon in Perlis.
His presence in Malaysia stirred up controversy with certain quarters claiming he is a threat to the existing multiracial harmony in the country because his talks touch on the religious sensitivities of others.
It was reported that last year Bangladesh banned Zakir’s Peace TV following suspicion that some of the extremists who attacked a Dhaka cafe, killing more than 20, had been influenced by Zakir’s “provocative” speeches.
India is currently investigating his foundation, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), over terrorism links, which he has denied.
Zakir left India after investigations started and has since been in Malaysia, where he has been giving a series of talks around the country. He was even reported to have been given permanent resident status.
Jamil said since it was a sensitive religious issue, the government would explain the matter to those who were unhappy with Zakir’s presence in the country.
“This issue can cause uneasiness and threaten national harmony,” he said but he did not go into details as to how the government intended to explain the matter to Zakir’s detractors.