Ahmed Deedat and the Form of Islamic Evangelism

This paper examines the role of mediation and circulation in religious movements. Examining the evangelical work of the South African Muslim preacher Ahmed Deedat, it examines how the rise of Deedat in the 1970s and 1980s came about as a Muslim response to the emergence and dominance of new modes of transnational Pentecostalism. A central concern is how Deedat draws on forms of secular critique and biblical hermeneutics as part of his call for da'wa (religious awakening) among Muslims. It draws on close textual analysis of writings and video cassettes to tease out the formal properties whereby religious movements are articulated.