Zakir Naik Speaks English At Perlis Sunnah Convention

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“People evolve a language in order to describe and thus control their circumstances, or in order not to be submerged by a reality that they cannot articulate.”
- James Baldwin, American writer and civil rights activist
Recently PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, probably the most honest political operative in his vision of what Malaysia should be, bemoaned the apparent sidelining of Bahasa Malaysia.
Now whenever people talk of the status of the national language, whatever their stance on the issue, it is always with the qualifier that they agree that BM has to be prioritised over the other languages that are spoken in this country.
Of course, the real targets of these creeds are the multiracial urban centres which not only act as economic ecosystems but are also the destination of the rural diaspora looking for a better life and economic opportunities.
So, in other words, people came to these supposed places where BM is sidelined, because they understand they can have a better life.
Hadi said something interesting when talking about another multicultural/racial melting pot, the United Nations - “They don’t speak in English, except for those who are colonised, the countries that have an identity, that have the spirit of the nation, they speak in their mother tongue.”
Now here in Malaysia, if you are a non-Malay/Muslim, you cannot exactly use BM in the way languages are supposed to be used. Non-Malays are banned from using certain words. As words convey ideas, this naturally means that non-Malays/Muslims are banned from conveying certain ideas too.
PAS president Abdul Hadi AwangHadi said - “What is happening today is chaotic, in the shops in the city, the capital, all kinds of languages are spoken, (the use of) the Malay language is sometimes only “halus” (minimal), while English is prominent (even though the English people are no longer around).
As reported in the press, Hadi expressed disappointment that the Malay language is often sidelined in favour of English, especially when only a few foreigners are present. But here is the thing. Looking at the recent Perlis Sunnah Convention 2025 Malaysia. Preacher Zakir Naik spoke in English during his talk “Al Qur’aan and Modern Science - compatible or incompatible?”
Speaking English to ‘non-English’
Now to be clear, I do not know how many “English people” were around, but when the camera panned to the audience, there were many people who were obviously not “English people”.
Now I do not know why Zakir spoke in English and not BM. I mean if people bemoan the lack of BM usage, surely at such a prestigious event with a world-renowned speaker, there should have been some effort to promote the national language.
After all, English speakers are accused of not understanding Malay sensitivities but then how does someone like Zakir, who speaks at these events attended predominately by BM language speakers manage to convey his ideas about the religion of the state without offending anyone?
Hadi said leaders who use foreign languages are “those who are still colonised and lack a sense of national identity” which is strange because Zakir is a world-renowned Islamic leader and he speaks in English to attentive audiences all over the world and apparently now in Perlis.
How is this possible? I get that Zakir comes from a country which was colonised but why would he speak in the language of his colonisers? I mean sure, he speaks English because he wants a wider audience but doesn’t he know that he is only reinforcing the colonial mindset at the expense of his religion’s superiority?
Is Hadi really saying that Zakir is shackled by his colonial mindset? It is also kind of strange. Hadi said it is chaotic with all these languages spoken in the city and the capital, etc, but here we have English spoken at a religious convention and everything is serene. It was as if Zakir speaking in English held their attention.
‘All languages is knowledge’
In 2002, when the old maverick decided it was time for Maths and Science to be taught in English (PPSMI) across schools in different stages, the opposition was throwing up roadblocks.
Indeed, so comical were the protestations that Hadi, who was then the menteri besar of Terengganu, issued a statement expressing “full support” for Dong Jiao Zong and the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall “in their effort to uphold the use of mother tongue in the teaching of Science and Maths in Chinese primary schools”.
Indeed as reported in the press, “Hadi, who is Terengganu menteri besar, also said PAS was not against the effort to upgrade the proficiency of English and other languages to help Malaysians cope with globalisation. The statement reaffirmed that PAS ‘regards all languages as knowledge’.”
Would you believe that PAS back in the day (2002) from reportage “passed a resolution at their national convention to support wider use of the Chinese language in Malaysia.” The next day, Sin Chew Jit Poh quoted a PAS vice president, Dr Hasan Mohamed Ali, as saying that China has become increasingly important in regional affairs and the global economy. As such, he said, learning Chinese was crucial as it would enhance the competitiveness of Malaysians.
So all this is really nonsensical when you really think about it. What makes Malaysia great is that we have the possibility of being a major meeting place in the region where nearly every South East Asian language is spoken and with the volatility of current geopolitics, this is a good thing. As PAS believed back in the day.
Language is knowledge. And as we know, knowledge is power. The only threat to BM are those who wish to weaponise the national language.
Lastly, I don’t really know how Zakir self-identifies, but I know I could find out because if I had a conversation with him it would be in English. - Mkini
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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