In a Facebook posting today, he hit out at non-Muslims who he said had interfered in Islamic affairs by opposing the invitation extended to Naik to deliver a khutbah (formal Friday sermon) in Perlis in January.
He claimed that they had made phone calls to his mutfi’s office, and delivered verbal abuses on the matter.
“How can they interfere in the religious affairs of others and then tell us that we should not interfere in their own religious matters?” he said, specifically naming Indian rights NGO Hindraf.
On Friday, Asri uploaded a poem on Facebook that targeted people who “idolised cows” and which defended an unnamed preacher against attempts to hand him over to an “evil government”.
“When those who idolise cows as God unite, and call for our preacher to be fettered, to hand him over to an evil government that worships the fire and practises the sati, burning widows, in that continent, a teaching that divides humans into castes,” he wrote in his “Friday morning poem”.
While Asri did not mention names, he has in the past criticised Hindraf over its opposition to Naik who is wanted by India for investigations on money-laundering and terrorism-related matters.
The poem caused a furore with various quarters criticising the popular Muslim scholar for ridiculing Hindus in general.
Asri posted another message on Facebook yesterday, saying the poem was not directed at Hindus in Malaysia, but at Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s administration, which he alleged had allowed Muslims to be killed over the slaughter of cows which are considered sacred by Hindus.
“For those who do not idolise cows, there is no need to be slighted. The poem only concerned the state of current affairs in India,” he said.
Claiming to be a vocal promoter of inter-racial harmony, Asri today said the message of his poem had been given a “spin” by his detractors.
He said his office had consistently taken into account the interests of non-Muslims in fatwas (religious decrees), such as those related to custody of children involving a non-Muslim parent.
He added that Perlis had also issued a fatwa in March to authorise that donations from zakat collections be channelled to needy non-Muslims.
“They do not appreciate all these (policies),” he wrote. “In fact, Hindraf dared to interfere in the khutbah affairs of the mosque arranged (to hold Naik’s sermon) by the mufti’s department.”
“After this, my poem which related to Modi’s government in India was spun by them as though it was meant for Hindus in Malaysia.”
He also took to task critics of Naik for using the Indian government’s action against him to counter his presence in Malaysia.
“It is as if they are representing the Indian government,” he said.
“We know that under the Indian government led by Modi, who is a religious fanatic, many Muslims and Christians have been killed,” he said. “The cow (protection) issue alone has led to many Muslims being sacrificed in a horrifying and brutal manner.”
He said Naik’s critics seemed to have deliberately created a state of religious tension after it was learnt that he had obtained permanent residence (PR) in Malaysia.
On April 18, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi disclosed that Naik had been given his Malaysian PR more than five years ago, before he took over the post of home minister in May 2013.
Perlis mufti slams ‘cow worshippers’ out to get ‘our preacher’
‘Emotional’ ulamas shouldn’t speak about Zakir Naik, says Zaid