Melaka Industry, Trade and Investment Committee chairman Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen also said he is hosting the event on Sept 7 in his capacity as Masjid Cina Melaka chairman, not as a government representative.

“The Melaka government and the police only barred lectures by Dr Zakir Naik, not solat, Yasin readings and ‘ibadah sunat’ in mosques (involving Naik),” he said in a Facebook post.

He also hit out at former Melaka chief minister Idris Haron whom he said had made this into an issue.

Idris had posted an edited picture featuring a poster of the event alongside a news report quoting Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari as saying Naik would continue to be barred from speaking in the state following the uproar over speeches he had given in Kelantan.

“Who’s the CM here?” he wrote.

Rafiq accused Idris of pitting him against Adly and using his event as a means of inciting controversy.

He also claimed that Idris, who is the state opposition leader, had ill intentions in publishing the post.

“Where is his identity as a Muslim leader?” he added.

Naik recently sparked controversy when he allegedly questioned the loyalty of Malaysian Hindus to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He was later quoted as saying the Chinese in Malaysia could also be considered as “guests” in the country.

However, he denied stoking racial sentiments, saying he is a victim of a vilification campaign by supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Aug 19, Adly said Naik was barred from holding religious talks in the state, adding that his administration wants to avoid “issues” that could strain race relationships.

The next day, police imposed a nationwide blanket ban on programmes linked to Naik for security reasons.

Melaka Communications, Multimedia, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Kerk Chee Yee had urged Rafiq to “obey the spirit” of Adly’s decision to ban Naik from speaking in the state.

“He may not be giving talks, but he is a controversial figure to many Malaysians,” he said on Facebook last night.

“All government personnel should obey the spirit of our chief minister’s decision of banning Naik from speaking in Melaka to preserve harmony in the state.”