You can watch the whole press conference of Mr. Adnan Oktar, held on August 5, 2007, evaluating the effects of the "Atlas of Creation" abroad and the commentsof Pope Benedict XVI on the theory of evolution and creation.
PRESS: I would like to learn about the aim and objective of this meeting.
ADNAN OKTAR: It concerns the evaluation of the impact in Europe and America of my book Atlas of Creation in recent months, its impact in Turkey and other countries of the world, and the Pope’s statements on the subject…
The collapse of Darwinism has an effect on many thoughts and activities, as well as on politics, in all countries as well as in Turkey. We therefore regard it as very important, which is why we feel the need to issue a statement. I would like to clarify that.
For example, the level of belief in Darwinism in Turkey has fallen even further, to around ten percent, which is a lot for Turkey.
Looking at the reaction from the press and scientists in Europe one clearly feels that it has been exceedingly influential also in Europe and that Darwinism has come to an end there too.
The well-known scientific magazine Science, for example, says “It's the most gorgeous-looking attack on evolution seen in a long time,” the French daily Liberation says “Harun Yahya is known as the greatest champion of creationism in Turkey,” while one of the dailies with the highest circulations in Switzerland says “All Switzerland is talking about the Atlas, and with great excitement and enthusiasm.” One can clearly see its impact in Europe from these.
The German magazine Stern, for example, describes the book as “a clap of thunder,” a simile that expresses an enormous impact. In other words, although some people are saying “Darwinism is a grave danger in Europe, terrible danger, we must take precautions,” Darwinism in Europe has actually come to an end, there is nothing left to take precautions over, the matter is closed.
I could cite many more such examples. Let me offer one last one. The Swiss daily Le Matin says “An extraordinary Atlas has invaded all of Europe.” It is clear from all these statements that Darwinism has come to an end in Europe.
This is of course a very happy event, something to rejoice at. The fact that people have now been freed from bigotry, that one-sided education had disappeared, that people are now analyzing the facts in an unbiased manner, is a most excellent thing. Darwinism used to be defended with a very strict policy, maintaining the opposite stance was literally a crime and nobody could speak out against it. Scientists who spoke against it were thrown out of their universities, the press literally excommunicated them, but the power of the Atlas has been so great that nothing could be done about it, and since it all happened so quickly and suddenly there was no time for any precautionary measures to be taken, in their own words. They might have rounded the books up or have prevented people obtaining them, but there is no longer any opportunity for them to do that. There is nothing they can do, the true facts are out in the open, the world has learned what Darwinism really is, in other words a deception that lasted for 150 years or 200 years has come to an end in 2007.
The Pope has also set out his own views regarding Darwinism, saying "We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God."
The fact that Christians and Jews also realized the hopeless predicament facing Darwinism is quite pleasing both for me and for those who share my ideas.
You can now carry on with your questions. I can take your questions now, I don’t wish to speak the whole time.
If the foreign television stations have any questions I can take those.
PRESS: I wonder why Darwinism is so important that you have placed it at the heart of your struggle?
ADNAN OKTAR: Darwinism lies at the root of all the suffering over the last 150 years. Darwinism lies at the root of Hitler’s philosophy and at the root of Nazi thinking, as well as at the heart of Marxism and Leninism. It lies at the root of Stalin’s bloodshed, as I have set out in great detail in my book, and at the root of anarchy and terrorism. Once the reality of Darwinism is understood, terror and violence and wicked ideologies of that kind will also come to an end.
PRESS: What, then, is the message you want to spread against Darwinism?
ADNAN OKTAR: The idea I describe, belief in the collapse of Darwinism, is a basic idea for Judaism and Islam and Christianity. This gives rise to a structure that proves the existence of Allah. At one time it was claimed that there was no god, that everything was the result of chance, of a chain of coincidences. However, these three revealed religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, all believe that Allah, a sublime mind, an infinite mind, created the entire universe, and this formed the groundwork for proving that belief.
PRESS: So what evidence do you have for this theory?
ADNAN OKTAR: They are digging all over Turkey, and wherever they dig they unearth fossils dating back millions of years. Not just in Turkey, but all over the world. But I am giving Turkey as an example. We can see from all of them that these animals never changed at all, that they remained just as they were created, and not one single intermediate form has been discovered in any research or fossil studies. This by itself is sufficient as proof.
I shall be placing pictures of some 10,000 fossils on the Internet in the near future. These also show that animals have never changed in any way. Their numbers will also continue to rise. The fact we can see from tens of thousands of fossils is that animals have never altered, but are there any intermediate forms? Not one, let them bring me just one intermediate form; we can muster all the means at our disposal and pay at least 3 or 5 trillion Turkish Liras if they can come up with a single intermediate form.
PRESS: If the theory which Mr. Oktar is spreading here is right, then what are the conclusions?
ADNAN OKTAR: Islam, Christianity and Judaism will gain a great deal of strength. The influence of the devout will increase, the influence of the faithful will increase, the impact on politics will be parties that believe in Allah coming to power.
PRESS: So the message is “the world would be more peaceful without Darwinism.”
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, yes. An unnecessary chaos, terror and suffering, has covered the whole world. In such a state of affairs faiths, too, will establish a system in which they can live in brotherhood. Christians will treat Jews with understanding, and Jews will be understanding towards Muslims. A good, peaceful system that loves and believes in one Allah will emerge. PRESS: What about the role of money?
ADNAN OKTAR: Could I request a little more detail on that question?
PRESS: Well, I think money is making a lot of people moving and making actions, and when you look on certain wars which happened, the background is having any profits, money. So I don’t see how Darwinism is responsible for any aggressions between people. What about money?
I mean, for example, the Americans are in Iraq. They talk about democracy but at the end it’s the oil, the crude oil which is all there.
ADNAN OKTAR: You may be sure that it is still Darwinism that lies at the heart of it, and you will see this quite clearly if I set it out in detail. It is materialism that underlies all conflicts of interest; the lack of human love, human affection and human compassion. That is something that only Darwinism could have brought about.
PRESS: Could you just explain how Darwin can be blamed for Stalin and Hitler? I don’t get the link.
ADNAN OKTAR: We can see this in the works of Karl Marx. There can be no Marxism without Darwinism, in other words, Darwinism is indispensable to Marxism. You know that Marx openly expressed his approval of Darwin’s book and stated that he based his ideas on it as he wrote his own books. Marxism is impossible in the absence of Darwinism. Where Darwinism stops, so does Marxism in other words.
PRESS: But how is it responsible for the injustices of Stalin?
ADNAN OKTAR: Stalin is someone who translated Marxism and Leninism from theory into practice. He was the implementer thereof, someone who acted on Lenin’s instructions regarding murder, terror and savagery. He is someone who translated it from theory into practice.
PRESS: But where in Darwin could you find any justification for that?
ADNAN OKTAR: It expressed the most solid foundation of dialectical philosophy, in other words, it is depicted as concrete evidence in emphasizing dialectical philosophy.
You know that there is the theory of conflict at the heart of Marxism; all things are in conflict – thesis, antithesis, synthesis; thesis, antithesis, synthesis, that is the system that is claimed to exist. In Darwinism, it depicts itself as a structure that can be put forward as convincing to the public. Or rather, it used to, that is now over, but that is a whole different matter. But ask any socialist in Europe, ask whether socialism can survive the collapse of Darwinism, not one will say that is possible. They will tell you that socialism without Darwinism is impossible. Where there is no Darwinism, there can be no socialism.
PRESS: Some people would blame terrorism on the Qur’an, or Crusades on the Bible, I think you can agree it’s not fair. So how can you blame Stalin’s killings on Darwinism?
ADNAN OKTAR: If you read my book you will see hundreds of detailed proofs of this. I am not going into so much detail, but it can be seen in my book, and the evidence is so clear as to be irrefutable. What I say is hugely important; ask any socialist. Can there be socialism without Darwinism? Out of the question. Socialism collapses where there is no Darwinism. There can be no Stalinism where there is no socialism, no terror where there is no Stalinism, there is a chain of connections.
In fact, that is what underlies socialists’ reaction. We see this at the heart of the objection in Europe, in the European Council’s latest protest, it is socialist members who object, who oppose the eradication of Darwinism. For example, Article 17, as being concerned with the reaction being displayed in Europe. Article 17 reads: “Investigation of the creationists’ growing influence shows that the arguments between creationism and evolution go well beyond intellectual debate. If we are not careful,” that is unless we take precautions, “the values that are the very essence of the Council of Europe,” a reference to socialism, “will be under direct threat from creationist fundamentalists.” Indeed, this is no longer a mere threat since Darwinism has actually collapsed in Europe, though here it is merely referred to as a grave danger in order not to spread a terrible panic among its adherents; the affairs has gone beyond being a simple threat.
PRESS: I’m just trying to apply the same argument. You cannot define anybody Darwinist making mass murder or killings or Holocaust. This is tricked out of Darwinism. So I’m just applying the same argument, it’s something like to say that terrorism is tricked out of the Qur’an. Do you understand, I’m just trying to make the same kind of argument.
ADNAN OKTAR: You can speak freely. I know you are speaking honestly, you may have justified concerns when you make such statements, but I am sure you are asking me these things sincerely, so please feel at ease. Conflict is the basic law in Marxism. Absence of conflict is the basic law in Islam. There is a serious difference here. To speak of thesis and antithesis is to speak of two entities requiring conflict. But the Qur’an rejects this; there are no thesis and antithesis, and there is no conflict or contradiction. But there is conflict in dialectical philosophy, in Marxism. Since there is conflict, it is inevitable that blood will be spilt; it will inevitably come about, and anarchy will inevitably result.
But one needs to read my book in order to obtain detailed information on this subject. Anyone reading my book will clearly understand the position, because I give hundreds of proofs. I provide intellectual, scientific proofs, citing books and reference sources – it contains highly satisfying information.
Article 5 of the Council of Europe, for example, is directly aimed at the Atlas of Creation, as all of these articles are, let me state that openly. When it says “the very core of the knowledge that we have patiently built up on nature, evolution, our origins and our place in the universe,” it in fact means that by which we have deceived people for the last 150 years. When it states “attacking on the very core of the knowledge,” it is not really an attack but a revelation of the truth. When it reads: “to impose religious dogma,” it means “Allah”. It is not a dogma for us, it is the truth. It is very clear that an Endless Power created the universe. Even a child can see that. We see that there is an increase in such thinking. It is setting out its concerns there. But this is not a growth so much as an idea that is prevailing across the world. This will manifest itself ever more clearly.
Article 57, for example, from the report of the Council of Europe is again aimed at the Atlas. “The previous creationist initiatives, which were often of anglo-saxon origin.” Listen carefully. “Much more dangerous,” which means he considers it as the final word, He believes that … the method employed by the author could prove highly effective” on the public, that is on the European public. This is a sign of the resignation showing that the matter is now at an end.
PRESS: I would like to learn why you undertook this mission. Is it for world peace, or for well-being? Or to eliminate terrorism? Because you have assumed the burden of something.
ADNAN OKTAR: All three. All three of what you said. I want there to be peace and brotherhood on Earth. I want there to be love. I want an end to this chaos and bloodshed. The world is big enough for everyone. People may hold all kinds of views. Someone may be an atheist. Atheists’ rights must be protected. The freedom to be an atheist must be recognized and respected. Christians and Jews in any case should enjoy religious freedom. Muslims, too. But people who do not live according to religion must also be respected. That is why I am a proponent of global secularism. Everyone must enjoy freedom of belief. People must be free to defend Darwinism or to defend the opposite, and nobody should put any pressure on anyone else. There must be an end to chaos, conflict, bloodshed and suffering. That is our aim, of course. Economic well-being, brotherhood. One characteristic of religions is generosity, protection of the poor, social justice, no monopoly of goods but their general distribution, and everyone being on good terms. We see this in the Old and New Testaments. There are many verses referring to this. We see this in the Qur’an.
This bloodshed is completely unnecessary. The world has enough for all of us. For example, we are all here together, and there are members of all faiths among us. I feel a deep love and affection for all of you. The fact that you have different beliefs does not trouble me in the slightest. That is how Allah has created you. He has created other people in other ways, that is perfectly reasonable. It is enough that one is as respectful and understanding as one can be. I am pleased with my book in terms of putting an end to the damage caused by materialism in the world. We will enjoy the fruits of this in the following months and years, and everyone will see them.
PRESS: Which scientific group put the Atlas together?
ADNAN OKTAR: I have a group of colleagues around me who have an excellent knowledge of foreign languages – English, French, German, Russian, and others. They follow closely all the works in the world, and provide me with detailed information, from books or the Internet. Photographs, researched in detail, also reach me as a source of information. I interpret them, give them to the editor and they assume the form of a book. In other words, I use a very simple method when producing a book.
I also have the final say on everything, from the cover design to the illustrations inside. I deal with amendments, and I deal with the design.
PRESS: How many books have you published to date?
ADNAN OKTAR: The publisher knows about all that, it is not something I follow all that closely, although there is a great deal of demand. They are constantly being printed, and I know that they are continually being printed by a couple of presses. I have written more than 250 books. And, what is more, these 250 books have been translated into 57 languages, globally, to date.
The gentleman said something, I think, but was interrupted. My apologies.
PRESS: The reality is… Just turn your head around and look what is swimming over there. That’s reality. You see the ship behind you? A warship.
ADNAN OKTAR: But we are changing the mindsets of the people inside that warship. Those ships are used by human beings. When the brains of the people in that ship change, they will resemble those in this ship. In the same way that this ship is a ship of peace, of love. Like Noah’s Ark, we are all together sitting at the same table, and they will also return to that state.
PRESS: Very nice wish, yes, yes, everyone would support it. But that’s a reality. And how much money is Turkey spending for things like this?
ADNAN OKTAR: I do not know, you must ask the Ministry of Defense.
PRESS: May I go on?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, of course.
PRESS: I read that Mr. Oktar has studied architecture. I think that you can see on the Atlas that there are artistic tracks to feel. But what changed his life to become a missionary?
ADNAN OKTAR: The most important thing in the world is for people to be happy. If someone is to be killed before my eyes I cannot sit here and eat, I will first rescue them, then eat. Even if I know that I will go hungry, that I will be killed, I will still want to save them first … Life has no meaning in the absence of moral values.
PRESS: You speak of Darwinism. You speak of the collapse of the theory of evolution. What is the target after that? It has collapsed, so what is Adnan Oktar’s next objective? What does the future hold?
ADNAN OKTAR: I want there to be brotherhood, peace and security in the whole world, not just for Turkey, I want people to be able to go anywhere in safety.
PRESS: What might Adnan Oktar’s next target be?
ADNAN OKTAR: The same things. My 250 or so books are about the same matters. I might want to expand on and detail those a bit more. I am writing ever more detailed works. You know that I brought out a small book called The Evolution Deceit. I have now turned that into the Atlas of Creation, which now consists of 7 volumes. I am now looking at the global responses to the Atlas in volume 8. I realized that 7 volumes are not enough, and I see that another 7 volumes are needed. Some 14 volumes will be brought out.
Yes, sir.
PRESS: Sir, thank you for the books I received.
ADNAN OKTAR: Thank you.
PRESS: As former Soviets we have personal experience of Darwinism and materialism. My observation is that you are working more in the direction of Europe. But today materialism and Darwinism are being experienced in a far more intense form in former Soviet countries. Presidents and heads of state there are inflicting Stalinism on the people. Sadly, the clergy there are tools in the hands of heads of state. They issue fatwas saying that opposition to the president is opposition to Allah. This is officially going on in Muslim republics. Do you intend to translate your books and the Atlas into those languages? First and foremost into Russian? Excuse me if you have already done so. Are you thinking of having them translated? Are you thinking of holding conferences there and describing materialism and Stalinism that are still going on?
Second, looking back 7 or 8 years there was considerable pressure on your works in Turkey. You now seem to be able to work freely, is that actually so?
ADNAN OKTAR: The Russian Atlas is available on the Internet, you can look at it there. Likewise, it is available in many other languages, and it is being prepared in many others, including Japanese. It is nearly finished and can also be read there. It has had a greater impact in Russia, you are right. That is why we are active with both books and conferences in Russia. We shall of course be publishing the Russian versions of the books we have translated, including the Atlas. But there is another point that should be noted: Russia will be unable to hold out once Darwinism has collapsed in Europe and America. Because it was Europe and America that ensured the collapse of socialism in Russia. It was the result of their cultural pressure. The death of Darwinism there will automatically have an impact on Russia. A chain of effects, from which Russia cannot remain unaffected.
As for the pressure on me, it has not been lifted, it is still going on. You know that I was depicted as mentally ill and sent to a mental hospital. I spent 10 months among mentally ill killers and murderers.
PRESS: Will you be writing about that?
ADNAN OKTAR: I do not generally dwell on the past. However, it is still useful to highlight the wrongs of the past. I spent 9 months in prison for saying "I am a member of the Turkish tribe, and of the nation of Islam," for instance. Then I was acquitted. They then planted cocaine in my library at home. They put cocaine in my food when I was detained. They ordered in kebabs, which I ate with great pleasure, thinking how friendly they were being. But there was cocaine in the kebab, and it entered my bloodstream. But the judge had his suspicions about the affair. He considered my statement to be an honest one, investigated the affair, and established that it was a conspiracy and that drugs had been placed in my food in the security headquarters, and I was acquitted. And recently all kinds of unbelievable claims, including gang accusations, were made. I was again acquitted. But although I had been acquitted they still took steps to reinstate the court proceedings. We will again be acquitted, but there is constant pressure; this is still going on, and will continue to do so in my view, but it will not wear me down.
For example, although prisoners are normally put in a ward, when I was in jail, I was placed in a single cell. I spent 9 months in that tiny cell. Prisoners cannot generally put up with those cells for even 2 weeks, but I spent 9 months there. This is most interesting. One feature of that prison landing was that it was where they put murderers, and that is highly interesting, though I got on with them very well. They behaved very peaceably and humanely, and the governor even said he was amazed by this, in the presence of my lawyer. He is still alive, that officer, so you can ask him. He is the officer at Bayrampasa Prison.
Several people were killed in the dormitory I was in at the mental hospital. That was the dormitory where mental patients who had committed murder were placed. And that is also interesting. I am a writer and researcher, and I still cannot understand why I was among those psychiatric patients. Neither do I understand why I went in or left. They eventually issued a report saying I am not mentally ill, but perfectly sane and healthy.
I am not complaining about anyone, of course. These are good things of an auspicious nature created in destiny.
PRESS: Can I ask about the distribution? It’s a very unusual way to distribute books at this scale, I mean, such big books to so many people who didn’t ask for it. Why did you decide to choose this way?
ADNAN OKTAR: That method has brought a great many orders in to the publishing house. Someone who receives a copy tells his friends about it. They then phone the publisher and order the book. For one book given out free, 10 have been sold. The publisher may use that method of distribution because it is a profitable one. And I am naturally delighted by it. The distribution of my book in that way is a method I find very pleasing.
PRESS: I think Denmark is one of the targets for distribution. Why did you decide for Denmark?
ADNAN OKTAR: Every country thinks it was the target. That is very odd. France thinks it was the target. Germany, too. But nobody was target at all; a given number were sent to every country.
But I personally would be delighted to receive such a book, it is a good thing. Books are the best possible gift. I expect such gifts back from them, books.
Let us exchange gifts.
PRESS: How is the book financed?
ADNAN OKTAR: The publisher finances it.
I make no profit from my 250 books, and have never to date done so.
PRESS: Who is the owner of the publishing house?
ADNAN OKTAR: It is a company with 5 partners, I can introduce you to them if you wish.
PRESS: Are they followers of your thought?
ADNAN OKTAR: They are intellectually sympathetic, of course.
PRESS: One question more. In America, you have fundamentalist evangelical groups who don’t use the word “creationism” they speak from “intelligent design,” I think because of public relations reasons. Does he, Mr. Oktar think it’s a little bit strange that I have followers in America, because it’s quite strange, you know, you find fundamentalists in America where the president every morning speaks about God and then makes wars in Iraq. And suddenly we have here in Turkey, in an Islam country, a group which is following the same way.
INTERPRETER: You mean, the fundamentalists in America are following Mr. Oktar’s…?
PRESS: Well, I don’t know, but I see parallels. And isn’t that strange?
ADNAN OKTAR: No, but I do not consider the theory of intelligent design to be an honest one, because if these people believe in Allah they should say so openly. There is no need to imply it without giving it its true name and saying that an intelligent entity appears to have done all this. An honest person will speak openly and must say that Allah is the Creator. I do not find that way of thinking honest, for which reason I reject it, and texts and articles of mine opposing it have appeared in many places. I even see it as a danger, in other words as highly dishonest.
It is timid. A strong belief should be expressed in strong terms, not timidly.
PRESS: In the German state of Hessen there is an education minister from Christian Democratic Party. And she started a discussion that creationism should be a part of the religious lessons in schools. So, does Mr. Oktar have the goal that creationism should be a part of the lessons in Turkey as well?
ADNAN OKTAR: That would be the logical thing to do.
PRESS: I am sorry, I interrupted.
ADNAN OKTAR: Please continue.
PRESS: What do the Turkish ulema, as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan famously put it, say regarding your work?
ADNAN OKTAR: They approve, and naturally look kindly on it. Muslims in general in Turkey approve of me. We made an official request on that subject, for it to be made part of the curriculum in Turkey. We even collected a petition signed by around 1,400 scientists. We collected signatures from some 1,400 scientists at the professor or associate professor level, and made an official request. That is the logical course; one-sided education and fear is no good. Nobody should say “leave Darwinism alone, otherwise it will collapse, don’t tear it down.” Even if you bring a book out it is already at the point of collapse. That means it is an idea whose time has come and gone. I have no concerns, let people come out and speak against creationism. Let them talk about Darwinism in loud voices. I have complete confidence in myself. Because I know that I will win. But Darwinism says nothing of the kind. They are unable to say that creationists should come out and oppose them. That idea has already been defeated. An idea that fears the emergence of another idea opposed to it is an idea that has already been defeated.
I did not personally collect these signatures. Believers collected them. I am just speaking on their behalf.
Yes, please.
PRESS:Atlas of Creation is a very ambitious theory. Why did you write it alone instead of together with scientists? I am curious, because you can provide its intellectual infrastructure, but there is no scientific background. I tried to establish which professors had worked on the book when I received my copy, but I could not find anyone.
ADNAN OKTAR: I have cited the views of the most eminent scientists in the world on this subject in the extracts section at the back of the book. That is quite sufficient. Becoming acquainted with these scientists in the book is the same as meeting them in person. It makes no difference whether we have met them in person or cited extracts from their books.
There is therefore no problem, since wide space has been devoted to their views. But the main thing is that there is not one single intermediate form in the whole world. But there are millions of living fossils. Millions. Excavations are being carried out in many parts of Turkey. Fossils are discovered more or less every day. They are all perfect animals. None has changed. And none is an intermediate form. This is most important. It is something that puts a complete end to the subject. I suggest that we muster 5 trillion Turkish liras; let them bring just one intermediate fossil if they can. Let them, and we’ll pay. But there aren’t any. They have been looking for 150 years, but there aren’t any.
PRESS: How does the absence of Darwinism prove the presence of God?
ADNAN OKTAR: That emerges by itself, spontaneously. Nature abhors a vacuum, they say. As Darwinism departs the stage, its place will inevitably be taken by belief in Allah. There is no other way, you will see this wherever you go. There is no alternative logic. There are two logical alternatives – either Allah created or chance did. Since it was not chance, then Allah must have created. It is as simple as that.
PRESS: Sounds like an unusual scientific argument. I mean, you can’t prove by absence, but you can prove by presence, normally in scientific arguments. You need to prove it there.
ADNAN OKTAR: The practicalities are very important here. When one asks someone about the creation of the universe, if he is unable to make a statement of any kind he may at the very least say that he does not know, but he cannot say there is no god, meaning that believers in Allah would possess an intellectual superiority. I do not say that everyone would be a believer, but such a person can make no other claim. He cannot say that Allah does not exist. This is very important. That means we are left only with those who say that Allah does exist. The problem in this world is the claim that Allah does not exist.
They base themselves on Darwin when they say there is no god.
PRESS: There was a world before Darwin. That world had wars, atrocities as well. So how is this explained?
ADNAN OKTAR: Darwinism is a religious belief that has come down to us since Sumerian times. It is a belief as old as the Sumerians. Darwinism is an ancient, perverted faith, one that has nothing to do with science. It is entirely based on coincidence. When you enquire how something came about, it will tell you by chance. Ask how this or that came about and it will again tell you, by chance. It is a faith in development by way of tens of thousands of millions of coincidences combining together. This can clearly be seen when one looks at Sumerian inscriptions and reliefs.
PRESS: In the introduction remarks, you mentioned these quotes from Stern and Liberation and these international media. The quotes read that “it’s a remarkable assault on Darwinism” and “it’s a strong argument” but does anyone say it is actually true, I mean, do you have any real endorsements of the theory?
ADNAN OKTAR: If someone keeps whistling while walking towards the cemetery, that means they are afraid. They reveal the effect on them by such a reaction. When we look at human psychology, we see that powerful reactions emerge in the case of facts. A person may exhibit powerful reactions when confronted by the facts. Many works and books about Darwinism have been published, and there are tens of thousands of books about creationism in Europe. But since this book is definitive, its impact has been such as to rock even the Council of Europe.
Let us now consider the number of people believing in Darwinism one year ago and one year later. I state quite openly that there will be a serious decline in Darwinism. This was the case in Turkey, where the number of believers in Darwinism was very high before the publication of these books, more than half. The number of believers in Darwinism has now fallen to around 10%. That means that cultural activities and books definitely produce results. There was a big reaction in Turkey, people said they were opposed to the book and that it should not be distributed, and wondered what the ministry was waiting for. But the results followed quickly. A 90% mass of believers emerged, and that is highly significant.
Harun and Yahya are 2 prophets beloved of all three sacred religions, one was the helpmate of the Prophet Jesus and the other that of the Prophet Moses. Their memory came to my mind one moment, and they represent the pen-name I use.
PRESS: Can I ask? One of the things that people especially notice about this whole campaign is the lavishness, the extravagancy that surrounds both the publication itself and these press conferences. Why does he choose this, what can I say, wrapping on the message?
ADNAN OKTAR: I have already made it clear. I have written 250 books and have taken no royalties from any of them. Some 8 million of my books have been sold. That represents an enormous total. That also means that the publisher has made a great profit out of such activities. They make profits both from book sales and also from my not taking any royalties. It is therefore quite normal that they should distribute the book out of such enormous profits.
PRESS: So the finance comes of the revenue of the previous books sold.
ADNAN OKTAR: I imagine that is the case.
But now the sales from these books is returning in a manner that will benefit the others.
For example, some 190 documentary films belonging to the same company have been sold. In other words, 190 documentary films prepared by making use of my works. That means sales of at least 10 million.
These documentaries are aired on 100 separate television channels in 20 different countries. They also take copyright fees.
There are more than 200 web sites in some 40 languages from which books are also sold.
My books have readers in 158 separate countries…
And we have at least 5 million visitors a month.
Every month an average of 658,000 documentaries, 365,000 books and 103,000 audio presentations are downloaded from web sites.
Books are also sold by booksellers in 40 countries, and that means thousands of booksellers. No small number.
PRESS: Can I ask Mr. Oktar a question?
ADNAN OKTAR: Please, go ahead.
PRESS: Let us broaden the subject a little… How do you spend your days? For instance, how do you spend your time?
ADNAN OKTAR: I get up in the morning…
PRESS: About what time?
ADNAN OKTAR: In time for morning prayers. Yes, I get up in time for the morning prayer. I walk for half an hour, on my exercise machine. I then go down into the garden. I grow vegetables there and occupy myself with watering and looking after them, because I enjoy doing it. I have a lot of cats, from two different mothers: 5 from one mother and 4 from the other, making nine. I look after them and play with them, and then turn my attention to my books and CDs. Friends come and I chat with them, and we sometimes go out, as you can see from today.
PRESS: Thank you.
ADNAN OKTAR: Thank you.
PRESS: These figures that Mr. Oktar said are very impressive. Does he go the way like scientology is going? In the same direction like so-called scientology church, which most of the world has not accepted as a church, it’s a sect.
ADNAN OKTAR: The church of scientology is a perverted ideology that denies Allah and the revealed religions, for which reason it is neither a religion nor a philosophy. So it is not a system we can have contact with or be compared to. It is a system set up to oppose the Divine faiths, and which has ridiculous ideologies and ideas, a childish philosophy, and that wastes people’s time. It cannot, therefore, be taken seriously.
PRESS: And making money… scientology is a system to make money as well.
ADNAN OKTAR: They make money by selling Marxist books and books about Darwinism, but that changes nothing. Millions of copies of Marx’s Das Kapital have been sold in the world. Huge sums have been earned from the royalties from them.
PRESS: Mr. Oktar makes a campaign against Darwinism. As a sociologist, you know that change in thinking of the people in the society lasts about 200-250 years. So when does he expect that the people will follow his ideas?
ADNAN OKTAR: Darwinism disappeared from Turkey between 1980 and 2007. We can make a global calculation on the basis of that.
But the last 7 years have been devoted to an effective campaign. That means that results will be seen even more quickly.
PRESS: Does Mr. Oktar consider himself more as a religious man or more as an intellectual?
ADNAN OKTAR: Both.
PRESS: Is he open to talk about religion now?
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course.
PRESS: May I ask something more?
ADNAN OKTAR: Please, go ahead.
PRESS: What does he think of Sufism?
ADNAN OKTAR: I adopt a democratic attitude towards all sincere movements within faiths, and regard them all as legitimate. I am not a Sufi, but I have the greatest respect for the adherents of Sufism. I mean, I respect all schools. Shiites, too … I am a Sunni, a Sunni Muslim. But I feel a deep love for Shiites, and a deep love for Sufis. I never take sides over religious differences, in other words, I am no bigot, but adopt a tolerant posture.
I mean, I have always opposed bigotry.
PRESS: Have you ever studied theology?
ADNAN OKTAR: No.
PRESS: What kind of education do you have? What did you study?
ADNAN OKTAR: I am self-taught.
I come from a secular, classical Turkish family. My family are not especially devout, I became religious only subsequently.
PRESS: You know, we’re like, nowadays, you know, I would say in a big part of Europe, let’s say Europe, or even a lot larger than that to talk about the universal religion which at the end does not understand so much systems, like Christianity is a system, Judaism is a system, Islam is a system, and these are all other systems. Therefore I asked about Sufism which actually destroys all those systems and start believing in something like universal creator, and therefore I would like to talk about this with him. What does he feel about that?
ADNAN OKTAR: I respect Islamic Sufis, though I am not personally an adherent of Sufi thought. But nobody can believe in an artificial faith outside Islam, outside the faith, outside the true faith. People only believe in a real faith.
PRESS: A more realistic question. One of the principles of the Turkish Republic is secularism. Mr. Oktar says Darwinist thoughts, or Darwinism has affected or had influence on the creation of fascism, communism and and and. How does he comment on the result of the last elections in Turkey?
Is this a sign that the Turkish society goes back to or more to religion?
ADNAN OKTAR: You said that, not me.
PRESS: Yes.
ADNAN OKTAR: This is of course a reflection of the disappearance of Darwinism from Turkey.
But I must also state that I support all political parties in Turkey, I mean all the main parties on the right, but I do not support any one particular party.
In other words, I support all parties that favor belief and are based on belief in Allah.
PRESS: In a political sense?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, indeed.
PRESS: So it’s political Islam.
ADNAN OKTAR: No, not in that sense. What I mean is I support the AKP, and I support the MHP, but I also support the Felicity Party.
PRESS: You only have one vote, Mr. Oktar, so which would you vote for?
ADNAN OKTAR: I don’t get involved in voting, I merely state that I support the right wing, everyone votes in the light of their own opinions. That is full democracy.
PRESS: Yes, I mean, there’s this position: here secularism, laicism, and on the other side you have religion and religion is a private thing of each individual. Why does the state have a Diyanet [Religious Affairs Department] in Turkey when it is a secular state?
ADNAN OKTAR: Ataturk’s setting up the Diyanet was a highly rational move. Turkey has a real need for a department of religious affairs, and also for secularism. I mean, the present system in Turkey is a very good one, in my view.
PRESS: And it’s very modern.
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course. We can see and experience how this is an excellent, well-placed and beneficial system that has allowed us to come together here.
All right then, I would like to thank you all for coming to this press conference, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. InshaAllah we will meet again and have other enjoyable talks. But today’s conversation is at an end, InshaAllah.
