Global Human Rights Federation deputy president Peter John Jaban said Naik needed to be kept out of Sarawak to preserve its religious harmony.

In a statement today, Peter accused Naik of making controversial remarks against the Chinese and Hindu communities in Malaysia, and said Sarawak do not need him sowing discord among its multi-ethnic and multi-religious community.

“In Sarawak, we work hard to preserve the delicate balance of race and religion within our multi-ethnic society. We do not need foreign preachers threatening Sarawakian Muslims with judgement in the afterlife.

“He should not be allowed to spread hatred in Sarawak or incite tensions among our communities. In Sarawak, we already have our own Islamic scholars and preachers who are well respected by Sarawakians,” he said.

The Mumbai-born preacher, who is wanted in India for money laundering, was previously banned from speaking in Malaysia after he made controversial statements about the Hindus and Chinese in Malaysia during a speech in Kota Bharu in 2019.

Police were reported to have given the directive to the preacher in the interest of national security and to preserve racial harmony.

On Thursday, however, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that the ban imposed in 2019 was temporary and was no longer in effect.

Naik has been wanted by Indian authorities since 2016 for alleged money laundering and inciting extremism through hate speech.

Last August, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was not willing to consider extraditing Naik to India as long as the preacher avoided causing trouble.