Dr Naik's statements on Yazid, Karbala criticised

Mumbai, Dec 19 (UNI) Islamic intellectuals and religious scholars have severely condemned the recent statements by Islamic Research Foundation chief Dr Zakir Naik, wherein he has praised Yazid and said that war in Karbala was ''politically motivated''.

Dr Naik made these comments on December 2 at a Peace Conference organized at Sion, which was attended by lakhs of people and aired live on several television channels.

At a news conference today, several religious scholars like Shia Islamic scholar Maulana Hasnain Kararvi of Khawja Shia Asna Ashri Jamat and Sunni Islamic scholar Maulana Athar Ali of All India Ulama board condemned the statments made by Dr Naik.

Yazid, they said, is condemned world over for he was the person who ordered the family of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed to be wiped out. ''Yazid was a terrorist. He was the first terrorist of the world. How can he be praised?'' they asked.

Yazid had been condemned by people of eminence like Mahatma Gandhi, Milton and Ravindranath Tagore. ''Yazid was a tyrant,'' they said and pointed out that Dr Naik also described the war at Karbala as a ''political war''. ''It was a war against good and evil. How can it be politically motivated?'' they asked.

The Maulanas and religious scholars asked Dr Naik to tender apologies for his comments or come forward for a debate on this issue.

''He has lost sense of history, let there be a debate,'' the Islamic scholar declared.

UNI