Zakir Naik

Delhi, Jan 21: Self-styled Islamic preacher Dr. Zakir Naik in his latest video posted on his YouTube channel has claimed that every child ‘is born a Muslim’.

 

According to Zakir Naik, Prophet Muhammad said that every child is born in the innate religion. “Every child is born as a Muslim. He submits to Allah. Later on, the elders, the parents, the teachers, influence the child. He may remain on a straight path or he may become a fire worshipper, he may become an idol worshipper and then he may go out of the fold of Islam,” he says.

He claims irrespective of the child being born in Hindu, Christian, or even Jewish family is born as a Muslim. “He submits his will to Allah,” he claims. He claims that hence, the ‘appropriate’ word for the person who converts to Islam is ‘revert’.

“He was on the straight path, he went on a wrong path and now he is back on the straight path,” he claims.

To clarify his words, Naik talks about ‘Kapaku and Australian aborigine tribes’. He claims that these people, who were away from civilization, lived their lives like Muslims, without really knowing they were Muslims. However, that is not true. Islam came to Australia through Muslim visitors from Indonesia as early as 16th or 17th century.

Naik used this ‘fact’ to base his assertions that every child is born a Muslim.