2016 video of Zakir Naik converting people to Islam goes viral amidst FIFA World Cup

New Delhi, Nov 21: A video of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik converting people to Islam has gone viral just hours after it came to light that Qatar has invited him to preach Islam to football fans. Qatar is hosting the FIFA World Cup this year.

"They come to watch the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. After listening to the call of Allah, they converted to Islam. Allahu Akhbar!" Twitter user Kawu Garba tweeted.

The video was shared widely and criticism followed. Fans were enraged that Qatar is using an international tournament to convert non-Muslims.

However OneIndia has learnt that the video in circulation is not a new one. It was in fact posted in May 2016 by the editor-in-chief of the Qatari newspaper Al Sharq with the caption, "4 people declare their allegiance to Islam after a lecture by Dr Zakir Naik in Qatar."

One Meer Mohammed Yahya had claimed that the conversion took place on May 26 2016 in the cultural village of Katara in Doha city, Qatar. Hence it is clear that the conversion took place in 2016 and those sharing the video as a recent one are doing so with fake claims.

In this context we must also note that Naik had on multiple occasions coerced non-Muslims to convert to Islam. He would tell them to convert to Islam after asking them which religion they belonged to.

Zakir Naik a proscribed terrorist in India is wanted in scores of cases involving terror, money laundering and peddling propaganda.