Zakir Naik: What I believe they may take a verse of the Koran Hadith and misinterpret it. Maybe there is a scholar who has misinterpreted it, 50 years back, 100 years back, 200 years back, so they believe in his view directly, without going to the source. What I do, whenever I read the statement of a scholar I go back and see why he has said that thing. Most of the people, they just believe and quote the scholar without checking what he has quoted and from where he has got it. What we believe there is no verse in the Koran or the hadith that which says that the television is prohibited.

•Shekhar Gupta: Right

Zakir Naik: Yes, there is a statement in the Koran which says, you know about making tasveer or portrait, you know by making by hand. But that doesn't mean about photography and videography because at the time of the Prophet photography and videography wasn't there, so according to me, there is no verse in the Koran or Hadith that says that television is haraam. But watching wrong thing on the television, like obscenity, like pornography, fine , that is haraam.

•Shekhar Gupta: Right, right. So do you believe that Islam has actually, undeservingly got a bad name, because of wrong interpretation of the original scriptures by many

Zakir Naik: That's right. I agree with you totally. It is the most misconceived religion in the world, most misunderstood religion.

... contd.