Sheikh Ahmed Hussein Deedat (1918 - 2005), was a Muslim scholar of Comparative religion, an author, lecturer, and an orator. He was best known for witty inter-religious public debates. Early life Ahmed Hoosen Deedat, also known as Ahmed Deedat and Shaikh Ahmed Deedat, was a Muslim missionary and self-taught scholar on Islam and Quran. He was not only well-versed in Islamic studies but also Christian theology, including the Bible. His uniqueness as a missionary was his ability to draw parallels between the Bible and the Quran Deedat was born in India's Surat province in 1918. His father, a tailor, immigrated to South Africa soon after. In 1927, Deedat joined him in the city of Durban, on the east coast of South 8 Aug 2015. Sheikh Deedat was a charismatic, self-taught Muslim scholar from South Africa, most famous for engaging Christian evangelists in public debate. In 1986, he debated Jimmy Swaggart and Sheikh Ahmed Hoosen Deedat was a world renowned Muslim Scholar of Comparative Religion. He was a founder member of the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI), Durban, and its President. He has authored and published several books and distributed millions of copies free of charge. View source. Short description: Muslim thinker, orator and missionary from South Africa (1918-2005) Sheikh Ahmed Deedat. Personal. Born. Ahmed Husein Deedat [1] [2] ( 1918-07-01) 1 July 1918. Surat, Bombay Presidency, British India. 65AZ.