Kuala Lampur, Aug. 19 -- Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari said controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik has been barred from holding religious talks in the state.

The prohibition came amid concerns over the controversy surrounding the preacher, the English daily The Star quoted Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari as saying.

The Melaka Pakatan Harapan state government said it sought to avoid "issues" that could strain race relationships.

"We want to maintain this (good relations). So we decided not to allow Zakir to hold talks or gatherings here," he told reporters yesterday.

Melaka now joins six other states in barring Dr. Zakir from publicly speaking. The six are Johor, Selangor, Penang, Kedah, Perlis and Sarawak.

The Star reports that K...