NEW DELHI (TIP): The government on Thursday notified the ban on Salafist preacher Zakir Naik’s NGO+ , Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), citing Naik’s “objectionable and subversive” speeches extolling terrorists like Osama bin Laden, justifying suicide bombings and proclaiming that every Muslim should be a terrorist.

“The IRF and its members, particularly, the founder and President of the said association, Dr Zakir Naik+ , have been encouraging and aiding its followers to promote or attempt to promote, on grounds of religion, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred, or ill-will between different religious communities and groups,” said the gazette notification issued by the home ministry declaring IRF as an “unlawful association” under Section 3(1) of the UAPA.

Stating that the activities of IRF and Naik were “highly inflammatory in nature” and that “if urgent steps are not taken there is every possibility of many youth being motivated and radicalised to commit terrorist acts leading to promoting enmity between different religious groups,” the notification said the Centre was of the firm opinion that it was necessary to declare IRF as an unlawful association with immediate effect.