Nabeel Qureshi (author)

Nabeel Asif Qureshi (Urdu: نبیل قریشی; April 13, 1983 – September 16, 2017) was a Pakistani-American Christian apologist, author, and speaker. He was a convert to Christianity from Ahmadiyya.[1] He was a speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) from 2013 until 2016 and the author of three books: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity (Zondervan, February 2014),[2] Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward (Zondervan, March 2016),[3] and No God But One—Allah or Jesus (Zondervan, August 2016).[4][5]

For the Pakistani film director, see Nabeel Qureshi (director).
Nabeel Qureshi
Born(1983-04-13)April 13, 1983
San Diego, California, U.S.
DiedSeptember 16, 2017(2017-09-16) (aged 34)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
EducationB.A. Old Dominion University (2005)
M.A. Biola University (2008)
M.D. Eastern Virginia Medical School (2009)
M.A. Duke University
M.Phil. University of Oxford (2015)
D.Phil. (in progress, never completed) University of Oxford
OccupationChristian and evangelist
Known forConverting from Ahmadiyya to Christianity
Spouse(s)Michelle Qureshi (m. 2008)
Children1 (Ayah Qureshi)
Websitehttp://www.nabeelqureshi.com/

Background

Qureshi was born in San Diego, California to Pakistani parents who immigrated to the United States. With his father in the U.S. Navy, he moved many times as a youth before settling in Virginia. In 2001 he attended Old Dominion University and served as the president of the Pre-Medical Honor Society. Qureshi also studied Islamic apologetics and engaged Christians in religious discussions. After one such discussion with a Christian at Old Dominion University, David Wood, the two became friends and began a years-long debate on the historical claims of Christianity and Islam.[6] Qureshi's resulting conversion to Christianity was chronicled in his first book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus.

In addition to being a New York Times bestseller,[7] Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus was awarded the Christian Book Award for the categories of both "Best New Author" and "Best Non-Fiction" of 2015, the first time in award history.[8] Christianity Today heralded Qureshi as one of "33 Under 33"[9] in its cover story on emerging religious leaders in July 2014. Qureshi attended medical school at the Eastern Virginia Medical School after graduating from Old Dominion University. After completing his medical degree, Qureshi decided to spend his life studying and preaching the Christian Gospel and became a speaker for the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He subsequently completed three more master's degrees in theology and religious studies and was pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Oxford at the time of his death.

Qureshi lectured to students at more than 100 universities, including Oxford, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Hong Kong. He has participated in 18 moderated, public debates around North America, Europe, and Asia. In 2015, Qureshi debated at Wayne State University with Muslim scholar Shabir Ally.[10]

Qureshi was married to Michelle. The couple had one daughter, Ayah[11] born in August 2015.

2010 arrest in Dearborn

Beginning in the late 2000s, Qureshi began attending the Dearborn Arab Festival. In 2009, Qureshi, and other members of Acts 17 Apologetics were kicked out of the fair for allegations that they were passing out Christian literature. Different narratives of the issue exist and in the end a court ruled in favour of Qureshi.

Reportedly, Qureshi walked up to a booth with the sign "Got Questions? We've got answers," picked up a brochure on Islam and asked a question, as the booth's sign invited anyone to do. As Qureshi was engaged in conversation, a Muslim man walked by, snatched the brochure out of Qureshi's hand, and approached security personnel with it. Security personnel used this to create a confrontation with Qureshi and his colleagues, telling them to leave without telling them why, and ultimately assaulting them. According to the police, they received a complaint from a Christian volunteer at the festival regarding the behavior of the Acts 17 Apologetics. At the time of their arrest they were not passing out flyers, but engaging passers-by in a confrontational debate causing a large crowd to gather. Due to their behavior the crowd gathered to the point where it violated the City of Dearborn Misdemeanor Ordinances of Breach of Peace and Failure to Obey the Lawful Order of a Police Officer. After their arrest the crowd dispersed. It was alleged that those arrested were not in a public space, nor in the space allotted by the festival for passing out flyers at the time of their arrest.

A number of other Christian groups were at the festival including the well-known Christian minister Josh McDowell, who spoke with festival attendees regarding Christianity and the New Testament. Returning in 2010, Qureshi and his colleagues resolved not to engage anyone in conversation unless it was initiated by someone else. Furthermore, the members of Acts 17 Apologetics filmed the entirety of their interactions, as they had done the previous year. During the 2010 Festival, Qureshi was shown being asked questions by a small crowd of Muslim teenagers. Police officers soon arrested the group and confiscated their video cameras, charging Qureshi with disturbing the peace and refusing a lawful order from a police officer.[12] Qureshi and his group spent a night in jail for this arrest.

Soon after the arrest, Dearborn mayor John B. O'Reilly, Jr. released a statement indicating that the missionaries were engaged in hostile, angry shouts with the crowd, blocking access to the booths. The mayor stated that Qureshi was getting violent and confrontational with police officers attempting to peacefully calm the situation.[13] “The real violation of First Amendment rights occurs with Acts 17 Apologetics trying to imply they were the victim,” Mayor O’Reilly said, ”When the real violation is their attack on the City of Dearborn for having tolerance for all religions including believers in the Qur’an.”[14] After reviewing the video evidence, a jury found Qureshi not guilty on all counts. A separate civil suit[15] found that Dearborn, Michigan had violated Qureshi's constitutional rights, finding that there was no basis in law for his arrest. In 2013, the city then settled the suit. As part of the settlement, the city had to issue a formal apology and maintain that apology on their website for three years.[16]

Commentary on international Muslim terrorism

Qureshi commented on international Muslim terrorism in several media outlets, including USA Today,[17] Fox News,[18] Newsmax TV,[19][20] TheBlaze[21] and the Huffington Post[22] where he detailed his conversion to Christianity and his belief that Islam is an "inherently violent religion".

Cancer diagnosis and death

On 30 August 2016, Qureshi announced that he was in the advanced stages of stomach cancer. Qureshi took to his Facebook page to inform fans and followers of his illness saying the prognosis was "quite grim."

"This is an announcement that I never expected to make, but God in His infinite and sovereign wisdom has chosen me for this refining, and I pray He will be glorified through my body and my spirit," Qureshi wrote. "My family and I have received the news that I have advanced stomach cancer, and the clinical prognosis is quite grim. Nonetheless, we are going to pursue healing aggressively, both medical and miraculous, relying on God and the fact that He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine."[23] Qureshi died of stomach cancer on September 16, 2017, at the age of 34.[24]

Nabeel was featured in a 2018 documentary, American Gospel.[25] American Gospel was created in response to the Prosperity Gospel movement that is largely popular throughout the United States and the Western world today. The film was dedicated to him, since he passed away from cancer before it was completed. In the film, he discusses the importance of sharing the Good News of the Gospel with others.

See also

References
  1. Ravi Zacharias (17 September 2017). "Why Nabeel Qureshi resonated with so many before his death at 34 - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  2. Qureshi, Nabeel; Strobel, Lee (2014-02-11). Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity. Place of publication not identified: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310515029.
  3. Qureshi, Nabeel (2016-03-08). Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward. Zondervan. ISBN 9780310531388.
  4. "No God but One: Allah or Jesus?". www.christianbook.com. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  5. "Muslim convert to Christianity Nabeel Qureshi: 'Christ has revolutionised my life' | Christian News on Christian Today". www.christiantoday.com. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  6. Creed26Ministries (2012-07-24), Engaging Islam: The Gospel & Nabeel's Testimony, retrieved 2017-09-23
  7. "Best Sellers – The New York Times". www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  8. "ECPA Announces the 2015 Christian Book Award® Winners – ECPA". www.ecpa.org. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  9. "33 Under 33". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
  10. Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (2015-04-08), What is God Really Like: Tawhid or Trinity? Dr. Shabir Ally and Dr. Nabeel Qureshi Debate, retrieved 2016-04-19
  11. "Nabeel Qureshi's Wife: 'Thank You for Loving My Daughter'". CBN News. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
  12. Four Christians arrested outside Arab festival, Christian Examiner, retrieved Sep 1, 2016
  13. Jo, Mary. "The Mayor of Dearborn Responds". Confident Christianity. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  14. https://www.arabamericannews.com/2010/07/16/Mayor-defends-arrests-of-missionaries-at-festival/
  15. Acts 17 v. Dearborn, Case: 2:11-cv-10700-SJM -RSW (United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan 2011).
  16. American Freedom Law Center (May 6, 2013). "City of Dearborn Apologizes for Arresting Christians at 2010 Arab Festival; Settlement Reached in Lawsuit" (Press release). American Freedom Law Center. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
  17. "The Quran's deadly role in inspiring Belgian slaughter: Column". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  18. "Why are young Muslims being radicalized?". Fox News. 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  19. "Former Muslim: Reading of Quran Shows It's Not Religion of Peace". Newsmax. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  20. "20160322- Karol Markowicz on Brussels; Nabeel Qureshi Sought Allah and Found Jesus". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2016-05-02.
  21. "Prominent Ex-Muslim Was Asked if Islam Is a Peaceful Religion. Here's His Response". The Blaze. 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  22. "Do The Roots of Jihad Lie in The Quran?". The Huffington Post. 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  23. "Christian Apologist Nabeel Qureshi Diagnosed With Advanced Stomach Cancer, Says His Prognosis Is 'Grim'". Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  24. "Christian Apologist Nabeel Qureshi Dies at 34", by Edward Shih, The Gospel Herald
  25. "American Gospel". American Gospel. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
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