India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) extends the ban on Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) for another five years. The ministry says the organisation’s activities are prejudicial to national security and could disturb peace, communal harmony, and the country’s secular fabric. The new notification is issued under powers in India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
The IRF was founded in February 1991 in Mumbai by Naik, who later left India and obtained permanent residency in Malaysia. Authorities and intelligence agencies have previously accused Naik and IRF of delivering inflammatory speeches and promoting religious enmity and hatred between communities. Several outlets also note the timeline of earlier bans and extensions, which are periodically renewed when the current order is due to end.
Across coverage, outlets largely agree on the decision, the legal basis cited by the government, and the stated rationale around security and communal harmony. Differences are mainly in phrasing and emphasis, with some highlighting the ban’s repeat extensions more explicitly than others.
