Dear Mr. Bhatti, In his letter to Pakistan Christian Post, Mr. Irfan asked Bishop Timotheus Nasir to debate Zakr Naik. In my response to Mr. Irfan, I made the following comments about Zakir Naik. “As for as Zakir Naik is concerned, that coward is running away from debating with Sam Shamoun, Robert Morey and Ali Sina for many years. If Mr. Naik has any decency left in him, he should either debate any of these gentlemen or shut his mouth from criticizing Christianity”. My comments sparked some back and forth responses from Mr. Nisar, who tries to defend Dr. Naik for not having a public debate with Sam Shamoun, Dr. Robert Morey, Dr. William Lane Craig, Dr. Samuel Green or Jay Smith. He also insists that Bishop Timotheus Nasir should debate Dr. Naik. Let us have a look at the credibility of Mr. Nisar,s arguments that why Dr. Zakir Naik cannot debate any of the gentlemen mentioned above. According to Mr. Nisar, Zakir Naik cannot debate---- 1. Robert Morey: Because Robert Morey does not represent Christianity. Shabbir Ally defeated him. Pakistani Christians exposed him as dishonest, and John Gilchrist reprimanded him. He authored a whole book on the subject: “OUR APPROACH TO ISLAM: CHARITY OR MILITANCY?” 2. Sam Shamoun: Because he was previously an eastern Christian, a protestant, a reformed Christian and a Muslim. His verbal assaults and behavior is in STARK CONTRADICTIION to the Bible. He conducts research on Islam from protestant prospective but his research is tainted with an agnostic-atheist agenda. Lay Muslims like myself, are interacting with him. 3. William Craig & Jay Smith: Because their ex-student has a blog called Debunking Christianity. 4. Dr Samuel: Because he has never responded to any of the refutations to his papers. 5. Ali Sina: Because he merely copies and pastes items. He is doomed both from Christian & Islamic perspective. He lacks intelligence, and there is no reason and need to debate him. All of the above reasons are excellent examples of ‘Argumentum ad Hominem’, a logical fallacy that our Muslim friends are very good at. I do not see any intelligent reason in Mr. Nisar’s letter, that why Dr. Naik cannot debate any of these gentlemen. Though feud between Dr. Morey and some Pakistani Christians was unfortunate and regrettable, but it does not minimize his ability to debate Muslims, and in no way it can be a reason for Dr. Naik running from a debate with him. Dr. Morey in his debate with Shabbir Ally presents Quranic Sura (25: verses 4-6) as the proposition for criteria to judge whether Koran is the word of God or not. Interestingly the English translation of this Sura is also Criterion, and the Pickthall translation of these verses is as: (Verse 4: Those who disbelieve say: This is nothing but a lie that he has invented, and other folk have helped him with it, so they have produced a slander and a lie. Verse 5: And they say: fables of the men of old which he has had written down so that they are dictated to him morn and evening. Verse 6: Say unto them O Mohammad, He who knows the secret in the heavens and the earth has revealed it----). Dr. Morey successfully proved with evidence that the disbelievers were right in their claims, and the Quran is indeed a lie and nothing more than the stories forged by Mohammad. Under the weight of over whelming evidence presented by Dr. Morey, Shabbir Ally capitulated by agreeing that Quran indeed contained stories from the past. Dr. Morey was quick to point out that Shabbir was agreeing with the disbelievers, and against the Quranic position that it is reavealed word of God. No wonder Dr. Naik do not want to debate him, as debating a real debater will burst his bubble of this self proclaimed debater. If Ali Sina lacks intelligence then it is extremely foolish of Dr. Naik not to debate him, as it is an excellent opportunity to humiliate an arrogant atheist. Ali Sina’s atheistic views are a lame excuse for not debating him, as I am sure Mr. Nisar is aware that Dr. Naik has previously debated atheists, so why run from a debate with Ali Sina. Moreover, the reasons given by Nisar for Dr. Naik not debating William Craig, Jay Smith and Samuel Green are indeed hilarious, and I should thank him for providing some amusement and comic relief for the audience of Pakistan Christian Post. In order to evade the simple question that why Dr. Naik is running from a debate with Sam Shamoun, Mr. Nisar decided to pursue another logical fallacy called ‘creating smoke screen’. This means bringing all sorts of irrelevant stories, incidents and arguments, so that people should forget the actual topic of discussion. Nisar created lots of smoke screen by bringing up alleged accusations by Catholics against Luther, accusing Eastern Christianity as a sect, and ending with the heartfelt story of his aunty mistaking Orthodox priests for Muslim sheikhs. Mr. Nisar, we are not falling for these smoke screen arguments, give us some solid and straight forward reasons for the cowardice of Dr. Naik. In the end Mr. Nisar resorts to another logical fallacy called ‘red herring’, which means if the topic is difficult to handle, then change the topic. Nisar brings the red herring about Nadir Ahmad, pleading us to arrange a debate between Nadir Ahmed and Sam Shamoun. It seems Mr. Nisar no longer believes in Dr. Naik’s ability to debate Sam Shamoun and thinks that it will bring shame to all Muslims if such debate goes ahead. Mr. Nisar seems to believe that Nadir Ahmed is a much better debater than Dr. Naik, and the only way to answer Sam Shamoun is by arranging his debate with Nadir. Though he did not say what was the outcome of the previous debate between them! The debate between Sam & Nadir is available on http://www.abrahamic-faith.com/debates.html a website a website run by a Muslim convert to Christianity. No Mr. Nisar! We would not let you hide behind this red herring either. Give us credible reasons for the cowardice of Naik first before suggesting any other Tom, Dick and Nadir. I would not comment on Mr. Nisar’s proposal for Bishop Timotheus Nasir to debate Dr. Naik, as Bishop Nasir has very affectively responded to it already. Mr. Nisar! You and every non-Christian is indeed lost without a Messiah, and as you are a Muslim let me help you understand it from Quran, which is your own authority. Quran in Sura 19:68-71 assures all Muslims that they will go to Hell, and gives a timid hope that some might be able to come out of Hell after a while Sura 19:72. Mohammad himself was not sure of his own fate in the afterlife as Quran very clearly states in Sura 46:9. Jesus Christ the Messiah assured a robber on the cross that he will be with Him in paradise even today (Luke 23:43). The choice is very clear to any Muslim with a logical thinking. Either assured Hell by following someone who is himself not sure of his fate or assured salvation through putting the trust in the Messiah and His substitutionary atonement for all sinners through what he did on the cross. I hope that you and many will make the right choice, as on the judgment day I would hate to see you doomed with the likes of Deedat and Naik (if he doesn’t repent). I would love to see you among those receiving glory and everlasting life through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Sincerely praying for your salvation. Sincerely, Asif