If not handled wisely, the polemics surrounding Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik could invite extremist threats to the country, an academic has warned.

According to Universiti Malaysia Perlis's (Unimap) Malaysian Research Institute of Strategic Studies (Myriss) director Mohd Mizan Mohd Aslam (above), the issue provided space for extremist groups to acts outside the confines of the law.