Following the Easter Mass attacks, two major cable TV operators in Sri Lanka banned Zakir Naik’s network, Peace TV from their channels. Sri Lanka’s ban comes shortly after India and Bangladesh banned the network.
According to sources, Zakir Naik’s channel was used on multiple occasions to promote Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) propaganda. Furthermore, it was also discovered that this channel was used to recruit members.
Launched in the year 2006, Peace TV was the brainchild of Naik’s Islamic Mumbai-based Islamic Research Foundation. Three years later, Naik branched out into different languages by first launching an Urdu channel and then, a Bangla channel.
By the time Naik left India in the year 2016, he was already a wanted man by not only the National Investigation Agency (NIA) but several other police forces as well. Apart from propagating terror activities through his speeches, Naik is also wanted on charges of money laundering. The first case was registered against Naik by the NIA on grounds of promoting enmity between different religious groups.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, banned Naik’s network after it came to light that his followers for the militants who attacked a Dhaka cafe in the year 2016.
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