Once my friend who is a Muslim, was staring at a girl for a long time. So I told him brother, ‘What are you doing? It’s not allowed in Islam.’ So he told me, ‘Our beloved prophet said, “The first glance is allowed, the second is prohibited”. I have not yet completed half my glance.’” – Zakir Naik
Naturally, the audience laughed. Anybody would.
Zakir Naik is an engaging speaker, like the shiny toys that stun and awe little children. He is witty, can rattle off verses from the Quran and other religious scriptures (there are YouTube wars on his alleged errors), quote crime statistics at the drop of a hat and weave them all into a seamless, convincing argument (What journalists wouldn’t give to have the same effect after so much effort! Sigh.)
Now that the novelty of the shiny toy has worn off, we can look at what the man is actually saying. Here’s an explanation of why women get assaulted.
“For example, if there are two twin sisters who are very beautiful, they are walking down the streets of Kuala Lumpur. And one twin sister is wearing the Islamic hijab that is complete body covered, except the face, and hands up to the wrist. And the other twin sister who is equally beautiful, very beautiful, she is wearing the Western clothes, the skirt or the mini and if they’re walking down the street. And round the corner there is a hooligan, there is a ruffian who’s waiting for a catch, who’s waiting to tease a girl. I’m asking a question, which girl will he tease? Will he tease the girl wearing the Islamic hijab, or will he tease the sister who is wearing the skirt or the mini. Which girl will he tease? But natural, he will tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. She is inviting the people to tease her.”
A postscript for the uninitiated: Zakir Naik is an Indian Islamist preacher with a substantial following. He recently landed at the heart of controversy when it was reported that two of the terrorists who killed 20 people in an attack on a café in Bangladesh were followers of Zakir. The evidence against Zakir includes a video of a speech from 2006 in which he allegedly praised Osama Bin Laden and advised Muslims to turn terrorist, which he claims is doctored.