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− sign was thus delivered to mankind within the stipulated time and in circumstances as foretold and was testified as such by no less than three thousand witnesses, Hindus and Muslims alike. Dire End of Alexander Dowie of Zion, USA: A Historical Prayer Duel John Alexander Dowie was by birth a Scotsman. He was born in Edinburgh in 1847 and studied for the Church in his early years. In 1872, he went to Australia as a cleric and acquired a certain degree of reputation for healing. In 1888 he came to the United States of America and started the publication of a paper called. In 1896 he founded the Christian Leaves of Healing Catholic sect. In 1901 he started building a town in the State of Illinois which he called Zion City. He established many factories within the area of the town and became in effect the uncrowned king of Zion City. In the same year he claimed to be Elijah or the forerunner of the second coming of Jesus Christ. Dowie was a bitter enemy of Islam and hurled vile abuse at − Islam and its Prophet and proclaimed his mission to destroy Islam − − before the coming of Christ. From the far distant land of India, and from a little known and inaccessible town of Qadian, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as ± ± − − ± took note of his tall talk. He wrote to Mr. Dowie about his claim as the promised Messiah and challenged him to a prayer contest that each of them should pray to God that of the two, whoever was impostor be punished and destroyed by God in the life time of the other. The Promised Messiah and Mahdi wrote: as − "As regards the Muslims, we wish to point out respectfully to Mr. Dowie that there is no need for the fulfillment of his purpose to subject millions of Muslims to destruction. There is a very easy 251