Nabeel Qureshi: ‘Love for Muslims, truth about Islam’

Dr. Nabeel Qureshi, an itinerant speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) and bestselling author of the prize-winning Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, recently responded to the November 13 attacks in Paris in a three-minute video (see video below).

In this video, Dr. Qureshi, a former Muslim who became a Christian, explains the need for both love for Muslims and the truth about Islam.

Dr. Qureshi describes how upon receiving news of the Paris attacks, he immediately relived the shock of September 11, 2001, in particular when the World Trade Center was brought down in the name of Islam, his religion at the time.

He mentions his empathy toward Muslims in Paris, remembering how deeply he was shaken in his identity as an American Muslim. The events of 9/11 led him to investigate unsettling questions about his faith: “What about these men? How do I understand them? Were they actually representing my faith or not? Did these terrorists actually represent Islam?”

VIOLENCE AND THE TEACHINGS OF THE PROPHET

Dr. Qureshi says that what he found in the Quran shook him to the core. He goes on to share some of the quotes from his research that led him to conclude that “Mohammed most certainly did say these kinds of things which ISIS is today using in order to justify what they do.”

He clarifies, however, that this does not indicate that the Muslims of France hold these particular beliefs any more than he himself did as he watched the horrifying terrorist acts of 9/11.

“Muslims are generally loving, peaceful people,” he states.

Now a Christian, Dr. Qureshi advocates a response in love toward the innocent people of all worldviews — Christian, Muslim, atheist — saying that Christians should come alongside in support and prayer.

This love doesn’t advocate an ignorance of the truth, however.

“The cause of these attacks was very much Islam,” Dr. Qureshi says, encouraging the viewer to read not only the quotes he posts in the video but also the whole context of the Quran, and indeed of Islam and its origins.

“If we love and search for truth, then and only then will we find ways to end these kinds of attacks. If we ignore the truth, they will just keep happening,” Dr. Qureshi concludes.

PUBLIC DEBATES IN UNIVERSITIES

Dr. Qureshi has lectured students at over 100 universities, including Oxford, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Hong Kong. He has participated in 18 public debates around North America, Europe, and Asia. His focus is on the foundations of the Christian faith, the early history and teachings of Islam, and the interface of science and religion. Dr. Qureshi is a member of RZIM, an organisation led by international speaker and Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias. 

WATCH NABEEL QURESHI'S VIDEO: