Was Muhammad (pbuh) a true prophet of God? Was he a mercy for humanity? Did Muhammad (pbuh) author the Qur'an? For Muslims, the question of Muhammad's true prophethood is indisputable. They firmly believe that he is a true prophet and Messenger of God, through whom God's divine revelations throughout history were culminated and perfected, thus forming the universal divine message to mankind. For critics of Islam, generally, it is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), rather than God, who is the founder of Islam, the author of its teachings, and the composer of its holy book, the Qur'an. A sincere and "neutral" researcher examine both claims and arrive at his own conclusions. Representing the Muslim perspective was Ali Ataie: Ataie is the founder and president of the Muslim Interfaith Council. He was born in Tehran, Iran and came to the United States in 1979. Altaie earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He is currently a visiting assistant instructor of religious studies at Cal Poly, as well as an instructor of apologetics at the World Alliance for Humanity in Fremont, California. He is a student of sacred knowledge at Zaytuna Institute in Hayward, California and an author of several books. His organization is dedicated to spreading and defending the truth about Islam in America. His two books include "In Defense of Islam: Confronting the Christians with Their Own Scriptures" and "Injil-ul Haq: the True Gospel of Jesus Christ." Representing the Christian side was Mr. David Wood: David is a former atheist, he converted to Christianity after examining the evidence for Gods existence He is a Teaching Fellow at Fordham University, where he teaches Philosophical Ethics He holds degrees in Biology and Philosophy and is coauthor of the book Who Was Jesus? Who Was Muhammad? Two Debates He runs the website www.AnsweringMuslims.com The Topic of Debate: Who was Muhammad? The Christian and Muslim Perspectives Ali Ataie vs. David Wood (University of California, Davis campus, California, USA 12th April 2007)
