March 7, 2003: A few days ago, I realized again, that nearly every link to Shabir Ally's articles listed on our Shabir Ally Rebuttal Index page was currently broken.

The team of Answering Islam usually seeks to discuss the relevant Muslim claims in direct interaction with the Muslim articles that make them. To facilitate easy comparison between the Muslim and Christian arguments we like to link from our rebuttal article directly to the Muslim article we respond to (see, for example, our answer to Shabir's response regarding Qur'an Contradictions). Everyone should be able to easily and directly access all relevant information. We believe that truth will prevail and those convinced that their position is representing truth will have no reason to hide anything.

Whatever the reason, the articles published by Shabir Ally are constantly shifting around, whether the website gets a new structure and every article is renamed, or the whole domain name is changed and the site moved to a different location. It is too much work to regularly change links in several dozens of articles. Therefore, we are usually linking to Shabir Ally's articles only on the overview page of the Shabir Ally Rebuttal section.

Shabir Ally's methodology reminds of the tactics of Guerilla fighters who know they can't win an open battle. They are constantly moving around, they will appear out of nowhere, gun down an unsuspecting victim and disappear again. This comparison is certainly an exaggeration if there were only the issue of constantly shifting webpage addresses.

Shabir Ally is one of the Muslim star debators. He has probably done hundreds of debates and "Muslim-Christian dialogues" in many countries, and he is a very skilled orator. He has the gift of swaying or even manipulating an audience, which is independent from the question whether the claims presented to the audience are true and the arguments solid.

We regularly hear from people living in many different parts of the world who have received an invitation or request to have a public podium discussion or dialogue with Shabir Ally. Why are there so many requests for dialogues with people who have little experience in public debate?

Given that Shabir Ally constantly seeks the opportunity of public debates, it is strange to observe that in his online presence he seeks to avoid direct comparison with his critics (both by shifting his articles, and for the most part refusing to link to our responses and enter into discussion of them), and seeing that he has been ignoring and refusing for years Sam Shamoun's request for public debate on the validity of Islam and the prophethood of Muhammad.

Shabir Ally is always ready to debate the Bible and the Christian faith, to shoot down an ill-prepared Christian with his machine gun of critical arguments about the Bible, but unwilling to have a public debate on the foundations of Islam, the Quran or the person of Muhammad.

Shabir Ally: What are you afraid of?

Jochen Katz

Rebuttals to Shabir Ally
Answering Islam Home Page