Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman will not close the door to anyone, even if it's someone whose views he strongly disagrees with.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Mothership, Syed Saddiq addressed the controversy over his recent dinner meeting with firebrand Islamic preacher Zakir Naik.

Syed Saddiq said:

"I will forever stick firm to my belief that meeting him does not in any way shake my belief that Malaysia’s strength is in its multi-racial identity, is in its moderation, and that every single citizen are my brothers and sisters.

But at the same time, I will have to engage with as many people as possible to ensure that, that dream, of a moderate, united, progressive Malaysia will be a reality."

Zakir Naik controversy

Zakir caused an uproar after speaking at a dialogue in Kelantan on Aug. 8, where he made disparaging remarks about the Indian and Chinese communities.

Several members of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's Cabinet called for Zakir to be deported. Syed Saddiq was one of them, and he defended the patriotism of the minority communities.

Zakir apologised on Aug. 20, after being questioned by the police over his inflammatory comments.

Mahathir stated that Zakir had crossed a line by dipping a toe in politics as a foreigner. Zakir was born in Mumbai, India, but holds permanent residency in Malaysia,

Mahathir also said that Zakir's comments were incendiary, and backed a police investigation against him.

Dinner with Zakir

However, Syed Saddiq himself courted controversy after he shared pictures of himself having dinner with Zakir on Twitter and Instagram.

He said Malaysians should move on instead of fixating on Zakir's remarks, which led to criticism of the Minister.

For instance, human rights activist and lawyer, Ambiga Sreenevasan, expressed her disappointment with Syed Saddiq, with the following tweet: 

This does not heal! Your first instincts were right. This is a capitulation by you so we don’t need the drivel about apologies etc. It’s insulting. You’re one of my favourite Ministers and this is disappointing. https://t.co/fPQGNyolJ4

— Ambiga Sreenevasan (@Ambiga_S) August 25, 2019

In reiterating the need to reach out to those who disagree with him, Syed Saddiq told Mothership that the last thing he wanted was for people to argue in silos and echo chambers, as this would lead to confrontation that could not be resolved.

On whether Zakir should be deported or not

When asked if he still believed that Zakir should be deported from Malaysia, Syed Saddiq replied that concrete actions are best resolved in Cabinet.

He elaborated that Cabinet is the best platform for discussion, as all opinions are taken into account before a consensus is reached.

Syed Saddiq added that he would wait for the ongoing police investigation to be completed first:

"And at the moment, as everyone has informed, the Prime Minister has said, we follow Cabinet’s decision where investigation’s ongoing, and allow the police to complete the investigation so that we can form the best-informed opinion on identifying the way to move forward."

However, he said that while waiting, he would still engage as many people as possible, both the supporters and the detractors.

Shared his views with Zakir Naik

Syed Saddiq added that the meeting gave him an opportunity to impress his views on Zakir:

"I will never change my stance that Malaysia’s strength is in its diversity, that unity is one of the most important in Malaysia, for Malaysia’s progress and growth.

But meeting up with him definitely allowed me to convey my feelings and at the same time enabled him to convey his concerns and issues as well."

He added that the meeting allowed for Zakir to also listen to his concerns, and they were able to have "that exchange of ideas", adding that he was "to communicate what I believed in".

Read more about the Zakir Naik controversy here:

Top image by Rachel Ng.