KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — Selangor Mufti Datuk Seri  Mohd Tamyes Abd Wahid has defended Dr Zakir Naik, claiming that the Muslim preacher was being victimised by people he deemed as "enemies of Islam”.

Without clarifying who he was referring to, he added that these "enemies of Islam” often try to link Muslim preachers like the Mumbai-based Dr Zakir to terrorist groups like that of the Islamic State in a bid to further divide Muslims.

"It’s not impossible that these accusations are made by the enemies of Islam intended to bring down Muslim missionaries.

"They (the enemies of Islam) intentionally created a perception to relate an Islamic figure with a terrorist group like IS,” he was quoted as saying by Malay daily Berita Harian.

He also advised Muslims not to blindly believe the news, especially those from the "enemies of

Islam” as the "the Jews and Christians will not stop to divide Muslims.”

Dr Zakir, who has been banned from Canada and the UK for his controversial sermons, has been making headlines in India and Bangladesh recently after news reports emerged that two of the militants behind the Dhaka terror attack last week, which left 22 people dead, were followers of the popular televangelist.