Mr. Idris Tawfiq was at one time a Catholic priest. He left the profession and worked as a teacher. It was then that he became impressed by the devotion and zealotry of his Muslim students, which he interpreted as the truth of Islam. He then visited Egypt and saw Muslims are ordinary people and not everyone is a blood crazed terrorist. These are the reasons he gave for his conversion to Islam in an interview with an overjoyed Muslim journalist, in an Arab television station. I watched that interview and read the site that Mr. Tawfiq has created and it was clear to me that the decision of Mr. Tawfiq to convert to Islam has been based on emotionalism and not on reason. I have read the testimony of countless people converting to Islam and have not yet seen anyone of them giving a logical argument for their conversion. Their decisions have been invariably subjective, based on emotions, which is highly misleading when it comes to finding the truth.

I wrote the following invitation to Mr. Tawfiq on June 26, 2007. Since more than a week later I received no reply, I am publishing it here. My objective is to show that those who convert to Islam make their decisions based on emotions and if probed they will fail to give any logical proof for their rash decisions. If Islam is from God, it must be logical and if it is not then how can one distinguish it from thousands of other false faiths and cults that exist and existed? Muslims cannot defend their belief and when asked to explain they will invariably fail to do so.

You can also write to Mr. Tawfiq and urge him to respond. We want the truth be known and the only way to do that is through dialogue. Mr. Tawfiq sounds to be sincere. Either he knows something that we don’t know or he does not know what we know. A dialogue will help us unravel the truth. Please write to him and urge him to accept my humble invitation and write to us telling us why he thinks Islam is true.

My name is Ali Sina. I am the founder of Faith Freedom International (faithfreedom.org). FFI is a movement of ex-Muslims that is trying to show a) that Islam is not a religion but a dangerous cult of hate and terror and b) warn the non-Muslims of the threat of Islam.

Our movement is growing fast and many people after reading our site are finding out that Islam is nothing but a huge lie invented by a very evil man. Many Muslims are leaving Islam thanks to this movement. Our site has attracted more than six million visitors in less than two years and many more since its inception.

Today, I came to learn about you and your conversion to Islam. Obviously you and I have diametrically different views about Islam. The truth is that either you are right or I am but we both can't be right. I am inviting you to tell us why you converted to Islam. Is your conversion based on facts or is it based on emotionalism? Has it been an objective decision or a subjective one?

After you write your reasons, I will post your letter in the front page of our site. If your arguments are convincing, I will acknowledge the truth of Islam and revert to it. I will also announce my decision world wide. I must bring to your attention that this is no little victory for Islam as Faith Freedom International is today the fastest growing movement and the greatest threat that Islam faces. Our main goal is to eradicate Islam and wean Muslims from its web of lies. We have been extremely successful in our efforts. If you can prove that Islam is a true religion and Muhammad was not a liar, you have nipped in the bud this movement and have rendered a huge service to Islam. I am also offering $50,000 dollars to anyone who can prove me wrong. I will honor my word and joining your ministry, we can use this money to promote Islam.

If however, I find errors in your arguments, I will politely point them out. You are most welcome to rebut them and prove that I am mistaken.

Dear Mr. Tawfiq . This is an honest and sincere invitation. My objective is to unravel the truth. Today I am convinced that Islam is a lie and extremely evil, that it is brining mankind to the brink of destruction. This is based on what I know about Islam. Am I wrong? Then someone must point to my errors. However, no Muslim has been able to prove me wrong yet. Maybe you know something I and other Muslim scholars who have debated with me don’t. If your faith in sincere and if you are confident that Islam is true, please explain to us why you think so. I hope you will accept this humble invitation and show us what you saw in Islam that made you embrace it.

I remain cordially yours

Muslims use the conversions of non-Muslims, particularly priests, to validate their faith and get the confirmation that their religion is true. It is important to show them that this is not the case and it is a fallacy to rely on someone else's understanding. This person could very well be misguided and misinforemed. This is called argumentum ad verecundiam. Mr. Tawfiq did not respond to my invitation. Is it possible that he honestly can't defend his decision in a logical way? If Islam is true why no one can prove it?

Politicallyincorrectlib wrote:

Dear Mr Tawfiq,

You probably received a message from the Iranian ex-Muslim scholar Ali Sina, the founder of the website faithfreedom.org. Many Muslims already left Islam thanks to his website, and many more shall, unless people like you manage to refute him. Aren't people like you supposed to intellectually defend Islam from critics? So far, no Muslim has managed to refute him. Do you think you can answer his challenge? If you think you can, and will present a convincing argument, I promise I will convert to Islam.

Regards,
Politicallyincorrectlib

Idris Tawfiq wrote:

Dear Sir,

It is always a cause of great sadness when people feel that they can no longer practice as Muslims. Allah knows best and He knows the secrets of our hearts. It is He who will bring us to account and judge us all one day.

Last February I took part in an Inter-Faith Dialogue in a church in Edinburgh . The Christian minister and I talked openly together for over an hour in front of a packed audience of Christians and Muslims. The purpose of our meeting was not to debate whose was the best religion, but to speak frankly about what we believed, acknowledging differences, but respecting the goodness of all people of Faith. People of Faith should never feel threatened by goodness, wherever they find it. The experience was deeply moving and I feel it was far more constructive than finding fault in the beliefs of others. As a former Roman Catholic priest, I still have the greatest respect for what Christians believe and I still hold in honour all of those good people with whom I lived and worked for so many years.

In all my work, I never try to persuade or cajole, to debate or to argue.
As Muslims we are called simply to present the sweet and gentle message of Islam and leave all else in the hands of Allah. My own experience of Islam has been deeply touching and enriching. Like all Muslims, I see that Islam is perfect, although we are not.

If ever we have given bad example to others, which has given them a
false impression about Islam, it is deeply to be regretted. My reply to you is not intended to refute anything or anyone, nor to accept the challenge for a debate. I simply offer these words in sincerity and hope they will be received in the same spirit.
As for you promising to convert to Islam, that is a matter between you
and Allah.

May Allah Almighty guide us all to the right path.

Yours sincerely,
Idris Tawfiq

My friend Politicallyincorrectlib forwarded your response to me. I read it and here is my response.

You say that you had a meeting with a Christian minister, but the purpose of your meeting was not to debate about the truth and falsehood but “to respect the goodness of all people of Faith.” That is good and dandy, but how can you find the truth if you avoid the problem altogether? Today more than anytime in history we need to find the truth. Innocent people are dying. There are Muslims who believe that their god has ordered them to kill the infidels. Are they misguided or is it their religion that makes them violent and terrorists? This question needs to be answered. We have to find the truth. The Qur'an teaches:

How do you explain these verses? Aren’t these, and many other similar Qur’anic teachings, responsible for the violence in the Muslim world? Most religions, including Christianity, have had violent histories. Islam is the only religion that teaches hate and violence in its holy book. Why? This is a legitimate question that begs an answer.

Don’t you think that it is time that someone explained the meaning of these verses to us? They sound awfully evil, not sweet and gentle as you claim. Getting together for hugs and handshakes is not dialogue. Shoving 1400 years of dirt under the carpet is not going to bring us closer to each other. There are fundamental, troubling questions about Islam and Muhammad that must be answered.

People are killed left and right and your solution is to meet and talk about the goodness in all people? We are not talking about people. We are talking about a doctrine that converts good people into killing zombies. We have a problem with Islam and the hate that it promotes. We can no longer hide our heads in the sand and pretend that everything is fine. No, gathering together and singing kum ba yah will not make the problem go away any more than denying the cancer will send it into remission. We need to face the problem, discover its source and find a real solution.

The source of this problem affecting mankind today is Islam. It is foolish to trust Muslims whose religion tells them hate and kill the non believers and instructs them not to take the unbelievers as friends (3:28) and "strike off their heads" (47:4).

Trusting Muslims and trying to make peace with them is more dangerous than trusting the Nazis. The foolish Chamberlain thought the solution is in peace with Devil. Peace is not always the solution. Peace with Devil will give him the chance to grow stronger. We must stand against evil and never accept it or make peace with it.

According to the ex-terrorist Hassan Butt “most Muslims" believe that terrorist activity attracts divine pleasure and admission to paradise and that "anything that is not an Islamic way of life" is a legitimate target for attack. He adds, “I disagree with those who say the pressing problem is simply how do we deal with an aberrant, extreme minority who have unleashed a reign of terror on Britain, rather, I believe the heart of the matter is Islam itself and how its teachings are interpreted. If we isolate the problem to that of the extreme fringe, then we are merely skimming the surface.”

As a person who has studied Islam thoroughly and has debated with thousands of Muslims, including some top scholars, I fully agree with Butt. If Islam turns them violent then Islam is the problem.

Muslims never shy from violence to defend their faith. Millions riot, burn churches, kill nuns, priests and other completely innocent people. However, when asked to prove Islam logically they are bashful and timid. Will you explain why? If Islam is from God why there is no proof? How can God expect us to believe in a faith with no logical evidence?

You believe that it is Muslims who are giving bad examples and a false impression of Islam. Many people have come to believe that it is Islam that makes Muslims violent. Anwar Sheikh committed murder when he was young. One day, during the partition of Pakistan from India, he was so filled with zealotry and faith that he killed three innocent people, a Hindu and a Sikh father and son, people whom he did not know. Later, when he came to his senses, he realized that he had committed these heinous crimes under the influence of Islam. He left Islam and dedicated his life writing against it.

You say “As Muslims we are called simply to present the sweet and gentle message of Islam and leave all else in the hands of Allah.” Is this true? Then will you please explain to us what does qazwa mean? Qazwa means raid. Muhammad waged 78 raids during the last ten years of his life. I am talking raids Mr. Tawfiq not wars. These were acts of terrorism. He bragged that he owed his success to terrorism. He said: “I have been made victorious with terror” [Bukhari 4.52.220]. How can you explain the concept of Jihad and the sword if the message of Islam is sweet and gentle? Did the Banu Quraiza and thousands other victims of Muhammad also think Islam is sweet and gentle? How can you explain the invasion of Persia, Yemen, Syria, Egypt, if the duty of Muslims is to simply present the sweet and gentle message of Islam and leave all else in the hands of Allah"? If what you say is true then what is the meaning of the verse 9:14 that says "Fight them, and Allah will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame, help you (to victory) over them, heal the breasts of Believers?" Aren't verses such as these the justification of the terrorists and beheaders? The Qur'an is a manual of terror. Show me which part of this book is sweet and gentle?

You say that your experience of Islam has been deeply touching. Please tell us about it. Has this experience been objective and rational or has it been subjective and irrational? Remember that the followers of all cults tell you exactly the same thing that their experience has been deeply touching. They are ready to kill and commit suicide to prove their faith. You can’t deny the sincerity of the faith of those who cheerfully sacrifice their own lives for their faiths. However, can the intensity of their faith prove its truth too? Tell us about your experience Mr. Tawfiq. What convinced you that Islam is true? Do not keep the truth to yourself. Let the world know what you have found. We have questions that no one has been able to answer yet. Will you answer them please?

Read the testimony of Celine Leduc, a Canadian woman who when converted to Islam joyously announced “God guided me back to my spiritual roots.” A few years later she discovered her blunder and upon leaving Islam she wrote. "I left the Muslim world full of paradox and conundrums". And "The Muslim world was harsh, full of rules and I had to cover my spirituality and was left with little room for freedom of thought". Could possibly your first impression of Islam be just as wrong as hers? Only an honest dialogue will reveal that. Are you prepared for that Mr. Tawfiq?

Yes Mr. Tawfiq, I am sincere. I am more sincere than all the Muslims combined. I am betting my life and have accepted the invitation of Muslims who plan to kill me, should they prove one of my charges against Muhammad wrong. All I am asking from you to show your sincerity is to tell us the truth that you have found in Islam. I have some questions that have not been answered. Are you willing to answer them? How can you claim sincerity if you shy away from these questions? Do these questions have answers? If yes, where are they? Why no Muslim is willing to answer them? Why? Sincerity must be proven with deeds.

Muhammad was a pedophile. At the age of 54 he had sex with an eight year old child. How can such a man be a prophet? If this is a test of faith, what kind of test is it? Does God want us to be stupid or perverts? Why He gave us decency and then sent an indecent prophet as an example? Muhammad raided civilians in the middle of the night, cowardly killed unarmed men and enslaved their women and children. He even raped women after torturing and killing their husbands. Did you know all these things? Since you claim to be sincere, please explain to me why would God send a fiend as a prophet?

The crimes committed by Muhammad are innumerable. I have recounted many of them in my book. I am not going to torment you with too many questions. All I am asking is to please answer why God sent a man as despicable as Muhammad to guide mankind? Or perhaps this is a leading question and you do not agree that Muhammad was evil. Then will you please explain why his actions look so despicable and evil?

I do not believe in religions, but at least Jesus was a good man. But Muhammad? Muhammad was evil Mr. Tawfiq. Explain please, why God chose a wicked person like him to be our guide? What kind of prank is this that the maker of the universe is playing on us?

Come Mr. Tawfiq. Let us talk about it. Let us find the truth together. One of us is committing a grave mistake. How can we find the truth if we do not talk?

There are only two alternatives. You are either right or wrong. Assuming you are right, how are you going to face your maker when he asks you why you withheld the truth from my servant Ali when he sincerely begged you to answer his questions? By withholding the truth you failed your duty. He was misled and through him millions were misled. If God is just, he will forgive me because I am sincere and will punish you for failing your duty.

The other alternative is that you are wrong. If you are wrong, how are you going to face your maker when he asks you why you shunned my servant Ali whom I sent to open your eyes and lead you out of that satanic faith that you had embraced.

In either case you will have to answer your maker Mr. Tawfiq. I am afraid hiding your head in the sand will not be of much help when the time comes. We have a cancer to remove. Getting together for hugs and smiles and discussing how wonderful is everybody is not going to help the dying patient. Sometimes you need tough medication and sometimes only an scalpel can do the trick.

If Islam is true, someone must be able to answer my questions. Where is the answer? Why a billion valiant Muslims are suddenly so tongue-tied when I ask them to give one logical proof that Muhammad was a prophet of God? Forget about proving him to be a prophet of God, they can’t even disprove my charges against him.

If you prefer to keep your head in the sand, that is your prerogative. Muslims will read this and will see that the claims of Islam are empty. I already know that no one will be able to answer my questions or refute my charges. I already know that you will not respond. You are not after the truth Mr. Tawfiq. You are after a fantasy. Alas this fantasy has separated you from the truth. Jesus warned his disciples of false prophets. He said that they would seduce many. He also gave clues how to recognize them. He said you will know them by their fruits. What are the fruits of Islam? The pervert deeds of Muhammad? The violent and hate mongering teachings of the Qur'an? The depravity and terrorism of the Muslims? Or the misery and the intellectual poverty that has engulfed the Muslim world? Where is that “sweet and gentle” fruit of Islam that you are talking about?

I earnestly hope that you will answer. But if you don't, I hope Muslims take note and perhaps write to you begging you to answer. The bankruptcy of Islam is manifest as sun. How disgraceful that there is not a single person among the billion strong Muslims who can refute my charges against Muhammad and Islam or show us, in an objective way that Islam is true.

Islam will die Mr. Tawfiq. Its days are numbered. It is up to you to remain in this sinking ship or come to the shore of truth. Remember Mr. Tawfiq that if Islam is evil, you are now part of it.