KARACHI: The University of Karachi held a convocation ceremony at the Sindh Governors house for Dr Zakir Naik on Thursday, in order to present him with an honorary doctorate degree.
The degree was awarded after a special meeting of the Syndicate of the University of Karachi, in which they approved the conferment of the honorary Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Islamic Studies.
It was a controversial decision, as three members of the syndicate including Sadia Javed, Shahida Rehmani, and Sahibzada Moazzam Qureshi, opposed granting the doctorate, due to Zakir Naik’s views on women.
Naik spurred controversy earlier in the week when discussing how an unmarried woman cannot be respected in society. He presented two options for unmarried women who cannot find a single man. The first, it to marry someone who already has a wife. The second, is to become a ‘baazaru aurat’ or ‘public property’.
KU Syndicate approves conferment of honorary PhD degree to Dr Zakir Naik
Naik said any respectable woman would choose the first option.
Naik also sowed discord after he declined to interact with orphaned children at an event held by the Pakistan Sweet Home foundation.
“What has happened to this country?” Naik said, after facing criticism for abruptly leaving the event. He later stated that it was inappropriate for him to touch non-mahram individuals.
While an event staff member insisted the orphans were girls, Naik said they were all adults, thus making it inappropriate for him to interact with them. Following the backlash, he criticised the societal norms in Pakistan, comparing the country to India, where he claims people respect boundaries regarding interactions with women.
Some have said that Naik’s stance is disconnected from contemporary societal norms, while others praise him for being a role model that adheres to religious values.
Three KU syndicate members oppose honorary PhD for Dr Zakir Naik