Shaikh Ahmed Deedat: Islam's Urbane Debater
By Bashir Goth

Al-Jazeerah, August 20, 2005

I first saw Shaikh Ahmed Deedat, who died at his home in Durban, South Africa, on 8th August 2005, when I attended a lecture he delivered at Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation in 1986. It was one of the first of what would later make him a fabled globe-trotting promoter of inter-faith dialog, a brilliant debater and the most persuasive preacher that the Islamic world had produced in modern times. Ever since I made it a habit to follow up all his lectures and read all his works.

A man blessed with an affable personality, a humble disposition, an imposing figure and a great sense of humor, Deedat had a firm belief in the magic of the good word, not just because he was aware of his skill in debating but because he was a man who understood that Islam had won hearts over the centuries through the soft and peaceful strength of its spoken word and not through the hoofs of its horses.
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Also published in the following papers and sites:
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Wardheer News also under the title "Champion of interfaith dialogue" in the Australian Opiniononline, where it was the most popular and most discussed article of the week.