Latest Events at the IPCI
Press Statement
On a cold Winter’s evening on Saturday, being the 28th June, the Islamic Propagation Centre International convened a controversial and hard-hitting public lecture entitled “Scientific and Historical Analysis of the Qur’an and the Bible and its impact in the 21st century”
Using the classic Maurice Bucaille thesis, combined with the latest research in modern Biblical scholarship, practicing attorney and researcher on comparative religion, Yusuf Ismail provided an awe-struck partisan audience of Muslims and a smattering of fundamentalist Christians, the ultimate in deconstructive higher criticism as he amplified the irrefutable arguments in respect of scriptural variances with science in respect of the Bible in contrast to the Qur’an’s conciliation with the latest discoveries of scientific knowledge in a span of two hours followed by a clinical and belligerent question and answers session. At times during the densely illustrated power-point presentation, disruptions were forthcoming from certain members of the audience who nevertheless were kept at the edge of their seat.
Many were shocked to discover, when Ismail described that the various modern-day Greek New Testaments were nothing more than “working editions”, giving a practical example of how the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament had just undergone its 27th updated editing!
Whilst the subject material was controversial, at no stage was the speaker divisive as he called for Muslims and mainstream Christians to harness the common ethical paradigm existent in both faiths, in jointly re-shaping a contemporary South African society which he described as having been proverbially laid to waste by the ANC government and South African leadership in general.
During the question and answers session where emotions flayed and had to be ‘tampered down’, one Brian Marrion requested the need for a “fundamentalist Christian” perspective to be presented on the topic, to which Ismail suggested that the IPCI would be more than willing in convening a similar such event with representatives from different faiths. At the termination of the event, an arrangement was tentatively convened for a “sequel” to the lecture involving the IPCI, to be held in Lenasia in the form of a public debate in October.
Readers interested in obtaining a personal copy of the DVD, and those who wish to relive the event may contact the IPCI telephonically on: 031 3060026 or per Fax: 031 3040326 or email: ipcisa@yebo.co.za.