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Sheikh Ahmed Hussein Deedat (July 1, 1918 – August 8, 2005) was a Muslim author, lecturer, and orator.[1] He was best known for his numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as lectures, most of which were centered around Islam, Christianity and the Bible. According to David Westerlund, Deedat aimed at providing Muslims with theological tools for defending themselves against the intense missionary strivings of many Christian denominations. He used English instead of Arabic or any other language to get his message across to Muslim minorities in the western world. [2]
Early yearsAhmed Deedat was born in Surat, India in 1918. His father had emigrated to South Africa shortly after the birth of Ahmed Deedat. At the age of 9, Deedat went to join his father in what is now known as Kwazulu-Natal. His mother died few months after Deedat left for South Africa. Applying himself with diligence to his studies, Deedat was able to overcome the language barrier and excel in school, getting promotions until he completed standard 6. But had to start working at the age of 16. In 1936, while working as a furniture salesman Deedat came across missionaries at a Christian seminary on the Natal South Coast. In between the deep racial divides, the religious ideology was used by the authorities to numb and pacify the masses.[3] This is considered to be a major influence on Deedat's interest in comparative religions. Sheikh Deedat credited his inspiration to be a book entitled Izharul-Huqq, meaning Truth Revealed, written by Rahmatullah Kairanhvi, which he had read while working at a Muslim owned furniture store near a Christian seminary on the Natal Coast of South Africa. In particular the idea of holding debates had a profound effect on Deedat who then purchased his first Bible and began holding debates and discussions with trainee missionaries, which he could not answer their questions earlier. Deedat's first lecture, entitled "Muhammad: Messenger of Peace", was delivered in 1942 to an audience of fifteen people at a Durban movie theatre named Avalon Cinema.[3] Within a short space of time, attendance grew.[citation needed] Among Deedat's close friends were Goolam Hoosein Vanker and Taahir Rasool, whom many refer to as 'the unsung heroes of Deedat's career'. They formed a study circle to look at the teachings of the Quran, and in 1956 Deedat and Vanker set up the IPCI in Durban.[4] In 1957, Deedat, together two of his close friends, Goolam Hoosein Vanker and Taahir Rasool, founded the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) which printed a variety of books and offered classes to new Muslims,[5] (and remained its president until 1996).[6][4] He later established an Islamic seminary at the As-Salaam Educational Institute, in Braemar, on the South Coast of Natal and published more than 20 books distributing millions of copies of free literature and pamphlets across the world.[7] Lectures & DebatesWith the increased success, Deedat engaged into a broader range of activities over the next three decades. He conducted classes on Biblical Theology and conducted numerous lectures. Da`wah (inviting people towards Islam) became the dominant factor of his life, with the audiences at his lectures reaching forty thousand. He later also went on to write a large number of books[8] on varied topics such as Christianity[9][10], Islam[11][12], the Arab-Israeli Conflict[13], conducted classes on Bible studies and also delivered numerous lectures and held debates on varied topics of Islam, Christianity and Judaism to large numbers of audiences; of the most famous being a debate against a Christian missionary from Nazareth Dr. Anis Shorrosh titled Is Jesus God? and another being against the pioneer of Christian Televangelism Jimmy Swaggart titled Is The Bible the Word of God which was witnessed by about 8,000 people. Henry Hock Guan Teh, a well-known Christian writer described the debate against Jimmy Swaggart in his article The Law of Evidence[14] as:
His debates were later broadcasted online on popular sites like youtube, and continue to be watched by fans and adversaries.[16] Some of his lectures have also been collected in a book titled 'The Choice: Islam and Christianity', published by the Islamic Book Service. His debates, such as audience-attended ones versus Stanley Sjoberg,[17] and informal others, such as with American Soldiers stationed in the Persian Gulf,[18] had such an impact on observers or participants, that ex-minister Kenneth Jenkins (now Abdullah al-Faruq) embraced Islam[19]. Deedat also held a combined lecture with ex-missionary Gary Miller (now Abdul-Ahad Omar)[20] and ex-Catholic cleric James Cunningham -who converted after debating with him- about Islam and Christianity [21] Furthermore, Deedat had challenged the late Pope John Paul II to a public debate, but the pope only agreed to a closed conference in his cabin.[22] CriticismDeedat's debates and writings have been labelled a form of apologetics.[2] Some, such as Yusuf Estes,[23] also consider that Deedat's emphasis on such matters as inconsistencies in the Bible does nothing to convince Westerners of Islam since many in the West are essentially secular.[24] Writer Farid Esack has accused Deedat's tapes of containing religious prejudice[25]. He has also compared Deedat to militants such as Meir Kahane and Jerry Falwell.[25] Deedat's writings have been criticized by Lloyd V.J. Ridgeon, an author as fundamentalist[26]. The name of the IPCI's Durban office, the 'Bin Laden Centre', has also come in for criticism. In fact, this was built with funds from the Saudi Binladin Group, among others, and is not named after Osama bin Laden. However, the centre has since been renamed.[27] A professor of Islamic studies at the University of Glasgow Lloyd V.J. Ridgeon, writes:
Karl Maier, former Africa correspondent for the London's Independent newspaper, writes that Deedat's rhetoric has made him very popular "in the underground of Islamic radicalism".[28] Some organisations, such as the one centered at Tel Aviv University called "The Stephen Roth Institute for the study of Anti-Semitism and Racism" have accused the South African Scholar of having an "anti-Israel" bent. Deedat denied the allegations and calls for the brother-hood and Unity that flourished between Arabs and Jews prior to rise of the European Zionist Movement and its claims to the Land of Palestine. Deedat says that the Zionist movement threw the peaceful relations between Arab and Jew into an imbalance.[citation needed] Honors
In 1986, he was awarded the King Faisal Award for his services to Islam in the field of Da'awah. Finland issued a postage stamp honoring Ahmed Deedat. DeathOn May 3, 1996, Sheikh Ahmed Deedat suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down, and also meant that he could no longer speak or swallow. He was flown to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where he was taught to communicate through a series of eye-movements. He spent the last nine years of his life in a bed in his home in Verulam, South Africa, encouraging people to engage in Da'wah (Islam propagation). He continued to receive hundreds of letters of support from around the world, but was a target to many missionaries who tried to convert him to Christianity, to which he replied -via eye movements- with verses from the scriptures[29]. On August 8, 2005, Ahmed Deedat died at his home on Trevennen Road in Verulam in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. He is buried at the Verulam cemetery.[30] External sources
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