Many non-Muslims in Zimbabwe had never heard of Menk, though he is already something of a celebrity worldwide, with more than 113000 Twitter followers, 200 000 Facebook fans and frequent speaking engagements across the globe.
But after one of the Boston bombing suspects retweeted him, and CNN reportedly suggested he was a "radical cleric", the mufti has come to the attention of many more people.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev retweeted this tweet from Menk: "Attitude can take away your beauty no matter how good looking you are or it could enhance your beauty, making you adorable."
A United States Twitter user accused him of calling for the "mass killing" of Americans and being the "mastermind" behind the Boston attacks.
The reaction has surprised Menk. "I haven't a clue who this guy is and why on earth he chose to retweet me," he said via email from Hong Kong, where he had been invited to speak.
He was "disgusted" that CNN had called him a radical. "They have labelled me as radical, a man who is furthest away from any form of radicalism. I have friends from all faiths all over the world and it is very clear for those who are bothered to search that I truly promote tolerance, peace, harmony and love."
But he said he would not retaliate with hate. "Jesus (peace be upon him) faced much unjustified hate speech and so did Muhammad (peace be upon him). It is important not to return hate with hate. I need to set an example for those who look up to me too. So I will seize this opportunity to promote peace and harmony."
He is open to investigation, he said, as he has nothing to hide, and he denies any involvement in politics. "I have focused on spirituality throughout my life. Knowing with certainty that I have a very clear track record for any investigators to figure out, I have not been worried at all besides the shock of what actually happened."
Menk is a well-respected cleric among Muslims in Zimbabwe, where he is an imam at the Arcadia Mosque and a member of the Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, the local Islamic college.
According to an online profile, Menk attended school at St John's College in Harare then studied for a degree in Shariah at the University of Madinah.
Zimbabwe is mostly Christian, but it has a growing Muslim community.