Viasen Soobramoney
D OCTORS have blamed a snake bite in mountainous Northern Pakistan for the death last week of Ebrahim Deedat, the eldest son of controversial Muslim author and evangelist, the late Ahmed Deedat.
Deedat, 65, of Verulam, was bitten on the leg while camping in the Gilgit region of Northern Pakistan.
From what little information is available Deedat had been in Pakistan, visiting his daughter for just over a month and was due to return home when he became seriously ill.
Speaking to POST from her home in Pakistan, Ebrahim’s daughter, Zaakiyah, said her father had been moving between the cities of Gilgit and Islamabad when he fell ill.
“My father had come to Pakistan to visit me and also to spend some time with the many friends he had here. He would often carry a camping tent because he loved camping and the outdoors. At this stage even we are not sure about the actual cause of his death but we were told by doctors that it was believed to be a snakebite,” said Zaakiya.
Zaakiya said her father had been away for two days when she received a telephone call from an unknown person informing her that her father was severely ill.
“I received a call from someone informing me of my father’s condition. Because I live about seven hours away from Islamabad they called in paramedics and rushed him to hospital.
“A few hours later I received another call from the doctors informing me that my father had passed away,” said Zaakiya. She added that often he would send her SMSes about his whereabouts, but his messages would always be short and to the point.
Ebrahim’s brother, Yousuf Deedat, said tributes for his brother were pouring in from all over the world.
“Ebrahim was a master at networking. He had friends all over the globe and most of them have sent their condolences. He was dearly loved by my parents and all those who knew him. He was a free spirit. He believed in freedom and my parents awarded him that freedom. It was the wish of the almighty that Ebrahim would meet his demise in Islamabad and we accept that,” said Yousuf.
Ebrahim’s father, Ahmed, was a renowned author on comparative religious literature and was famed for organising debates with his Christian counterparts. He also angered Hindus who accused him of denigrating the religion.
He was awarded the King Faisal International Prize in 1986 for his 50 years of missionary work, and passed away at his home in Verulam aged 87 in 2005 after a long ilness that left him bedridden and unable to speak.
Ebrahim was buried in Islamabad within 24 hours, in keeping with Islamic tradition.
He is survived by his daughter. At the time of his death, Ebrahim resided at his home in Verulam