Muslim Preacher Zakir Naik Spurs Outrage In Malaysia For 'Expel Ethnic Chinese' Comments 

Recent comments made by Indian Muslim preacher Zakir Naik concerning ethnic Chinese minorities are causing an uproar in Malaysia.

Naik, while addressing calls for him to leave the country following his divisive comments against the Hindu minority in Malaysia, targeted the ethnic Chinese in the community, saying they were "guests" in the country and should leave first.

"You know, someone called me a guest. So I said, before me, the Chinese were the guests. If you want the new guest to go first, ask the old guest to go back," Naik said in comments reported by media.

Some 60 percent of Malaysia's 32 million population is Muslim; ethnic Chinese and Indians make up the rest. Discussions on race and religion are sensitive issues with Malaysians.

The controversy began when Naik commented that Hindus in the Southeast Asian country had "100 times more rights" than the Muslim minority in India, and that they support the "prime minister of India and not the prime minister of Malaysia".

The comments made by Naik have resulted in several calls for him to be deported back to India. Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Human Resources Minister M Kulasegaran issued a joint statement that read, "We have expressed our position which is that action must be taken and that Zakir Naik should no longer be allowed to remain in Malaysia. The Prime Minister [Mahathir Mohamad] has taken note of our concerns. We leave it to him to consider the position and to decide soonest possible what will be done to deal with the problem.”

Sources told Al Jazeera that the Prime Minister and the cabinet "will solve the problem, but he gave no details” making it unknown when a decision will be made. The previous government had granted Naik permanent residency and he had been living in Malaysia for three years.

If the deportation goes through, India might not be so welcoming, making Mahathir’s decision much more difficult. Malaysian state news agency Bernama quoted the Prime Minister as saying late on Tuesday that Naik cannot be sent back to India for "fear of being killed” and “If any [other] country wants to have him, they are welcome." In 2016 India banned The Naik Foundation based on allegations of promoting religious division in the country.

Naik’s response to the controversy has been to accuse the media. In a statement released Wednesday, he said, "My praise of the Malaysian government for its Islamic and fair treatment of Hindu minorities is being twisted and misquoted to suit political gains and create communal rifts.” But his critics will point to video recordings of a speech uploaded by news portal Malaysiakini that shows him making the remarks that he now denies.