How a follower of Zakir Naik is spreading Hinduphobia and trying to disrupt PM Modi’s visit to Malaysia
Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Malaysia on Saturday (7th February), a radical Islamic preacher named Mohammed Zamri Vinoth has threatened to organise a rally against Hindu temples in the Islamic country. In a Facebook post on Friday (7th February), he stated, “Don’t be fooled by their propaganda and tactics. We (will) fight (against) intruders. Tomorrow’s (rally is) on at 8pm in front of Sogo KL” Vinoth’s open display of Hinduphobia continues despite the directives of the Malaysian government to call off his rally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a 2-day State visit to Malaysia between 7th and 8th February. He was invited to the Islamic Republic by his counterpart Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. This will be the Indian PM’s first visit to Malaysia after the 2 nations elevated their bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in August 2024. The two leaders will enhance collaboration in trade, defence, education, tourism, connectivity and agriculture. A notorious Islamic preacher, Mohammed Zamri Vinoth, is now attempting to sully the bilateral ties of both nations and spread hate against the Hindu minorities living in Malaysia. For the unversed, Vinoth is of Malaysian Tamil descent and was originally born a Hindu. He was previously known as Vinoth Kalimuthu. The 41-year-old radical has been making vitriolic remarks about Hinduism and dehumanising the minority community in the country ever since converting to Islam. Interestingly, he is a staunch follower of the Indian fugitive and hate preacher Zakir Naik, who has been given asylum in Malaysia by its government. In April 2019, the Malaysian government arrested Mohammed Zamri Vinoth after he made derogatory remarks about Hinduism. He was booked for spreading disunity and hatred among people. According to Star TV, the radical preacher also has a criminal past. The action against him followed after members of the Hindu community and NGOs filed 867 complaints with the police. A case was lodged against Vinoth under Section 298A of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. A few months later, Mohammed Zamri Vinoth vowed to give up his Malaysian citizenship if his mentor, Zakir Naik, was extradited to India by the government. “If the government wants to send back Zakir Naik or extradite him, I will not hesitate to hand over my IC,” he had claimed in June 2019. Mohammed Zamri Vinoth and his repeated targeting of Hindu religion Over the years, the hate preacher has targeted Hinduism on several occasions. In March 2024, Vinoth made a TikTok video insulting Hindus deities, particularly Lord Shiva. Malaysian MP RSN Rayer had demanded strong action against Vinoth at that time. “In a series of TikTok videos, Zamri is seen giving explainers about several deities worshipped by Hindus in the country. This is because his explanation of the deities is a form of insult (to Hindus) as Lord Shiva is worshipped by the Hindu community. We would like to appeal to the home minister to order that Zamri be charged immediately,” he had said then. However, no action was taken against him. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Free Malaysia Today (FMT News) (@freemalaysiatoday) A year later in March 2025, the Islamic preacher made a disgraceful mockery of the Hindu kavadi ritual. In a Facebook post, he claimed that Hindus performing the kavadi ritual appeared possessed and drunk while chanting ‘Vel Vel.’ The Deputy President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Saravanan Murugan, had remarked, “(His comments) were extremely disrespectful and deeply offensive to the Hindu community. This is clearly against the Madani government’s stance on 3R (race, religion and royalty) matters.” Although his posts were taken down by Facebook, Mohammed Zamri Vinoth got away with no legal consequences. This further bolstered him to continue his tirade against the Hindu community, which constitutes only 6% of the population. The new anti-Hindu campaign The follower of Zakir Naik is back in the news with a new campaign targeting Hindu places of worship and branding them ‘illegal’. Mohammed Zamri Vinoth had demanded action against Hindu temples. To coerce the authorities into submission, he had vowed to organise a rally along with his radical followers ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Malaysia. He had dehumanised Malaysian Hindus as ‘parya‘, a derogatory reference to the pariah caste. “Are you guys aware that Parya in India are also not eligible for free land? This means the illegal temple gang is more despicable than the Parya for they want everything free,” Vinoth had remarked. In the meantime, DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) chief Woo Kah Leong has appealed to authorities to stop the rally of the hate preacher as it would fuel racial and religious tensions. He had requested everyone to stop using the slur ‘kuil haram‘ (illegal temp
Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to Malaysia on Saturday (7th February), a radical Islamic preacher named Mohammed Zamri Vinoth has threatened to organise a rally against Hindu temples in the Islamic country.
In a Facebook post on Friday (7th February), he stated, “Don’t be fooled by their propaganda and tactics. We (will) fight (against) intruders. Tomorrow’s (rally is) on at 8pm in front of Sogo KL”
Vinoth’s open display of Hinduphobia continues despite the directives of the Malaysian government to call off his rally.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a 2-day State visit to Malaysia between 7th and 8th February. He was invited to the Islamic Republic by his counterpart Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim. This will be the Indian PM’s first visit to Malaysia after the 2 nations elevated their bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in August 2024. The two leaders will enhance collaboration in trade, defence, education, tourism, connectivity and agriculture.
A notorious Islamic preacher, Mohammed Zamri Vinoth, is now attempting to sully the bilateral ties of both nations and spread hate against the Hindu minorities living in Malaysia. For the unversed, Vinoth is of Malaysian Tamil descent and was originally born a Hindu. He was previously known as Vinoth Kalimuthu.
The 41-year-old radical has been making vitriolic remarks about Hinduism and dehumanising the minority community in the country ever since converting to Islam. Interestingly, he is a staunch follower of the Indian fugitive and hate preacher Zakir Naik, who has been given asylum in Malaysia by its government.
In April 2019, the Malaysian government arrested Mohammed Zamri Vinoth after he made derogatory remarks about Hinduism. He was booked for spreading disunity and hatred among people. According to Star TV, the radical preacher also has a criminal past.
The action against him followed after members of the Hindu community and NGOs filed 867 complaints with the police. A case was lodged against Vinoth under Section 298A of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
A few months later, Mohammed Zamri Vinoth vowed to give up his Malaysian citizenship if his mentor, Zakir Naik, was extradited to India by the government. “If the government wants to send back Zakir Naik or extradite him, I will not hesitate to hand over my IC,” he had claimed in June 2019.
Mohammed Zamri Vinoth and his repeated targeting of Hindu religion
Over the years, the hate preacher has targeted Hinduism on several occasions. In March 2024, Vinoth made a TikTok video insulting Hindus deities, particularly Lord Shiva. Malaysian MP RSN Rayer had demanded strong action against Vinoth at that time.
“In a series of TikTok videos, Zamri is seen giving explainers about several deities worshipped by Hindus in the country. This is because his explanation of the deities is a form of insult (to Hindus) as Lord Shiva is worshipped by the Hindu community. We would like to appeal to the home minister to order that Zamri be charged immediately,” he had said then.
However, no action was taken against him.
A year later in March 2025, the Islamic preacher made a disgraceful mockery of the Hindu kavadi ritual. In a Facebook post, he claimed that Hindus performing the kavadi ritual appeared possessed and drunk while chanting ‘Vel Vel.’
The Deputy President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Saravanan Murugan, had remarked, “(His comments) were extremely disrespectful and deeply offensive to the Hindu community. This is clearly against the Madani government’s stance on 3R (race, religion and royalty) matters.”
Although his posts were taken down by Facebook, Mohammed Zamri Vinoth got away with no legal consequences. This further bolstered him to continue his tirade against the Hindu community, which constitutes only 6% of the population.
The new anti-Hindu campaign
The follower of Zakir Naik is back in the news with a new campaign targeting Hindu places of worship and branding them ‘illegal’. Mohammed Zamri Vinoth had demanded action against Hindu temples. To coerce the authorities into submission, he had vowed to organise a rally along with his radical followers ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Malaysia.
He had dehumanised Malaysian Hindus as ‘parya‘, a derogatory reference to the pariah caste. “Are you guys aware that Parya in India are also not eligible for free land? This means the illegal temple gang is more despicable than the Parya for they want everything free,” Vinoth had remarked.
In the meantime, DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) chief Woo Kah Leong has appealed to authorities to stop the rally of the hate preacher as it would fuel racial and religious tensions. He had requested everyone to stop using the slur ‘kuil haram‘ (illegal temple).
He pointed out, “These places of worship carry long and complex histories, and should be seen as part of the nation’s cultural fabric and proof that Malaysia’s diverse communities can live together peacefully. Rallies intended to spark controversy or inflame public sentiment are not solutions. Instead, they risk worsening misunderstandings and damaging racial unity.”
“Malaysia was built on a long-standing spirit of unity among all races. All parties must reject discriminatory narratives and prioritise humane, constitutional, and inclusive solutions,” Leong concluded.
Similar demands have been made by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of Malaysia.
The Malaysian government has directed him against participating in any public demonstrating during the 2-day visit of the Indian Prime Minister. The Indian community had also urged the police to take action.
A government spokesperson named Fahmi Fadzil informed that PM Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim will not allow anyone to jeopardise the country’s security.
It must be mentioned that no action has been taken against Mohammed Zamri Vinoth yet despite filing of a whopping 894 complaints. The Islamic hate preacher and fan of Zakir Naik remains undeterred in his resolve to peddle Hinduphobia and further divide the Malaysian society.
