Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 78.191.7.114 (talk) at 10:53, 22 January 2009 (→External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Adnan Oktar (born Ankara, 1956), also known by his pen name Harun Yahya, is a prominent advocate of Islamic creationism in the creation-evolution debate. He is considered by some to be the leading Muslim advocate of creationism. He subscribes to Old Earth creationism. He is against Zionism and Freemasonry and sees them as very interrelated movements, though he denounces anti-Semitism and terrorism, which he says is a product of Darwinism, not religious fanaticism.

Adnan Oktar founded the Science Research Foundation (SRF, or BAV in Turkish), whose objective is "to ...peace, tranquility and love," though the BAV is described in the media as "a secretive Islamic sect" or a "cult-like organization, that jealously guards the secrets of its considerable wealth." In 2008 he was sentenced by a Turkish court to three years in prison for "creating an illegal organization for personal gain."

Oktar had defended his views by litigation; he is responsible for the blocking of numerous, high-profile Web sites.

Biography

Born in Ankara, Turkey in 1956, Adnan Oktar lived there through his high-school years. In 1979, he moved to Istanbul to continue his education at the department of Painting and the department of Interior Design of the Mimar Sinan University of Fine Arts.

In the early 1980s, he gathered young students around him to share his views of Islam. According to his former mentor, Edip Yüksel, Oktar was attempting to " mysticism with scientific rhetoric". These students belonged to socially-active and prosperous families of Istanbul. From 1982 to 1984, a group of 20 to 30 was formed.

In 1986, Adnan Oktar published the book, Judaism and Freemasonry. The book suggests that the principal mission of Jews and Freemasons in Turkey was to erode the spiritual, religious, and moral values of the Turkish people and, thus, make them like animals, as stated in what Oktar refers to as the "Distorted Torah." Oktar asserts that "the materialist standpoint, evolution theory, anti-religious and immoral lifestyles were indoctrinated to the society as a whole" by Jews and Freemasons.

Following the publication of Judaism and Freemasonry, Adnan Oktar was arrested and imprisoned. He was transferred to Bakırköy Mental Hospital and placed under observation. According to his official biography he was released after 19 months. In a 2007 interview on Al Jazeera, he blamed Freemasons saying it was a "message" for him not to write about them anymore.

In 1990, he founded the Scientific Research Foundation (SRF, or, in Turkish, Bilim Araştırma Vakfı, or BAV), through which he still effectively functions. Members of the SRF are sometimes referred to as Adnan Hocacılar ("Adherents of Adnan the Hodja") by the public. Then in 1995, he founded Millî Değerleri Koruma Vakfı (Foundation for Protection of National Values), through which he networks with other traditional Islamist and nationalist organizations and individuals.

Antisemitism

In 1996, the SRF distributed a book which was originally published the previous year, entitled Soykırım Yalanı ("The Holocaust Lie"). The publication of Soykırım Yalanı sparked much public debate. This book claims that “what is presented as Holocaust is the death of some Jews due to the typhus plague during the war and the famine towards the end of the war caused by the defeat of the Germans.” In March 1996, a Turkish painter and intellectual, Bedri Baykam, published a strongly-worded critique of the book in the Ankara daily newspaper Siyah-Beyaz ("Black and White"). A legal suit for slander was brought against him. During the trial in September, Baykam exposed the real author of the book as Adnan Oktar. The suit was withdrawn in March 1997.

In 2004, the Stephen Roth Institute, of Tel-Aviv University, expressed the opinion that Adnan Oktar had increased his tolerance toward others, asserting that "he now works towards promoting inter-religious dialogue".

Oktar nowadays states that anti-Semitism has pagan and Darwinist roots. Although he believes that the Old Testament "has been altered by individuals for the sake of all kinds of gain", he publicly calls upon all Muslims to have "a tolerant and friendly attitude toward other religions".

Campaign against evolution

In early 1998, Adnan Oktar and the SRF launched a campaign against Darwinism. Thousands of free copies of Adnan Oktar's book, The Evolution Deceit, and the booklets based on this book were distributed throughout Turkey.

The SRF also spearheaded an effort to attack Turkish academics who taught evolutionary theory. A number of faculty members were harassed, threatened and slandered in fliers that labeled them "Maoists" for teaching evolution. In 1999, six of the professors won a civil court case against the SRF for defamation and were each awarded a large sum of money.

In 2005, Professor Ümit Sayın summed up the effect of the SRF's campaign when he said to The Pitch:

In 1998, I was able to motivate six members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences to speak out against the creationist movement. Today, it's impossible to motivate anyone. They're afraid they'll be attacked by the radical Islamists and the BAV.

In September 2008 Oktar issued a challenge offering "10 trillion Turkish lira to anyone who produces a single intermediate-form fossil demonstrating evolution". Biologist PZ Myers responded: "The US government should immediately send a plane to pick up Mr Oktar, bring him to our country, and take him on a guided tour of the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History, accompanied by Niles Eldredge, Kevin Padian, Jerry Coyne, Sean Carroll, and the entire scientific staff of those museums. Afterwards, they can accept the check from Mr Oktar, run down to the local bank and cash it, and use one trillion dollars to resolve the current financial crisis, seven trillion can be sunk immediately into the American educational system, and they can send the change left over to me as a reward for coming up with this brilliant plan." Oktar's offer is similar to creationist Kent Hovind's $250,000 offer, which has been dismissed by creationists and scientists as a misleading gimmick where those who applied for the challenge have questioned his sincerity about paying and understanding of evolution.

Writings

Oktar has written numerous books under the name Harun Yahya (Harun (Aaron) and Yahya (John)), arguing against evolution. He also asserts that evolution is directly related to the claimed evils of materialism, Nazism, communism, and Buddhism. Most of his anti-evolution resources are identical to Christian creationist arguments.

He also has produced various works on Zionism and Freemasonry, accusing Zionists of racism and arguing that Zionism and Freemasonry have had significant negative effects on world history and politics.

Oktar's books on faith-related topics attempt to communicate the existence and oneness of God according to the Islamic faith, and are written with the main purpose of introducing Islam to those who are strangers to religion. Each of his books on science-related topics stresses his views on the might, sublimity, and majesty of God. These books attempt to display for non-Muslims what Oktar claims to be signs of the existence of God, and the excellence of his creation. A sub-group within this series are the series of "Books Demolishing the Lie of Evolution", a critique of the ideas of Materialism, Evolution, Darwinism, and atheism.

Many of Oktar's books have been made into high-resolution videos which are freely downloadable on the Internet.

Oktar asserts that Buddhism as being a false religion built upon idolatry and falsehood. He calls Buddhist rituals "meaningless" and "empty". He has also charged that intelligent design is a tool of Satan.

The Atlas of Creation

His latest publication, The Atlas of Creation, was published by Global Publishing, Istanbul, Turkey in October 2006. The book contains over 800 glossy pages and weighs 12 pounds (5.4 kg). Tens of thousands of copies of the book have been delivered, on an unsolicited basis, to schools, prominent researchers and research institutes throughout Europe and the United States. Some of the schools that received copies were in France as well as prominent researchers at Utrecht University, University of Tilburg, University of California, Brown University, University of Colorado, University of Chicago, Brigham Young University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Georgia, Imperial College London, Abertay University and several others. When the book was sent to French schools and universities, controversy resulted and the book sparked further concern about Islamic radicalism in France. In 2007, Harper's Magazine contributor Scott Horton reported that 35th U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez has Oktar's Atlas of Creation on a stand at the entrance to his US government office.

The arguments used by the book to undermine evolution have been criticized as not logical while evolutionary biologist Kevin Padian has stated that Oktar has no understanding of the basic evidence for evolution. Biologist PZ Myers wrote: "The general pattern of the book is repetitious and predictable: the book shows a picture of a fossil and a photo of a living animal, and declares that they haven't changed a bit, therefore evolution is false. Over and over. It gets old fast, and it's usually wrong (they have changed!) and the photography, while lovely, is entirely stolen."

Richard Dawkins reviewed the book (later translated into Turkish) noting that it contains a number of factual errors, such as the misidentification of a sea snake as an eel (two unrelated species) and in two places uses images of fishing-lures copied from the internet instead of actual species. A number of other modern species are mislabelled. However, Oktar himself claims that Nicholas Sarkozy, Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair were influenced by his book.

Blocking of Internet sites

In April 2007, Oktar filed a libel lawsuit against the owners of ek$i sözlük, a virtual community similar to everything2. The court reviewed the complaint and ordered the service provider to close the site to public access. The site was temporarily suspended so the entry on Oktar could be expunged and locked. Access to another news Web site was also restricted following Oktar's complaint.

In August of the same year, Oktar was able to get a Turkish court to block internet access to WordPress.com to all of Turkey. His lawyers argued that blogs on WordPress.com contained libelous material on Oktar and his colleague which WordPress.com staff was unwilling to remove.

On April 10, 2008, Google Groups was blocked in Turkey following a libel complaint by Adnan Oktar. As of May 5, 2008, the ban remains in effect for TTNet users.

On September 19, 2008, a Turkish court banned Internet users in Turkey from viewing the official Richard Dawkins Web site after Oktar claimed its contents were defamatory, blasphemous and insulting religion, arguing that his personality was violated by this site. In response, Dawkins posted a Turkish translation of his "Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya" article ("Zehirli Yilanlar, Kaygan Yilanbaliklari ve Harun Yahya") on his website. Then one week later a complaint by Oktar led to the banning of the internet site of the Union of Education and Scientific Workers (Türk Eğitim Sen). This was followed by a block of the country's third-biggest newspaper site, Vatan, in October.

ADNAN OKTAR'S AND BAV'S DEFENSE FILE

Science Research Foundation (SRF) is a service institution established in year 1990 in order to preserve the national and moral values of the Turkish Nation and Society by keeping these on the agenda, as well as to generate strategic solutions to the current problems of our country. The SRF community consists of entirely university graduates, who are highly cultured individuals, every one of which have exemplary clean judicial records and who are in total respect of law and have great love for their country. The purpose of our Foundation is to cultivate intellectual generations that are adherent to Atatürk's policies and that represent a democratic, modern, nationalist, progressive characteristic with an high opinion of moral values. In this regard, the SRF community has organized and is organizing numerous panels, conferences, symposiums and scientific summits.

The Honorary President of our Foundation, Mr. Adnan Oktar, has written more than 250 books under the pen name "Harun Yahya”. These valuable works of the author are published in 57 different languages, in 80 countries. Today, millions of people all over the world closely follow the documentaries, audio books, and Internet websites which are prepared on the basis of these works.

Some circles that are disturbed by the intellectual studies of the SRF members as well as Mr. Adnan Oktar are resorting to all kinds of methods in order to stop or obstruct these efforts. For this reason, plenty of plots have been set up against Mr. Adnan Oktar up to this day, slander campaigns were put to effect and even there were attempts of misleading and repressing some public officers and members of jurisdiction.

As a result of these attempts, there was a police raid on 12 November 1999 at 3am in the morning by 2000 (two thousand) police officers to 45 homes and offices at the same time. During the investigations held in this forced entry, house doors were broken down, violence was applied pointlessly although there was no resistance from the people living in these houses, and substantial unlawfulness was carried out during the interrogation and in the confiscation reports. People put in custody were subjected to torture for 7 days, they were threatened with death, exposed to violence and 8 people who were injured due to ill treatment received hospitalization reports. These people all had to sign the fabricated statements prepared in advance in order to secure themselves from being crippled or to save their lives.

Not only the people in police custody, but also their families and friends were also put under oppression. The families who came to the police security to learn the condition of their relatives in detention were coerced with such threatening that if they did not sign petitions of complaint against Mr. Adnan Oktar and the SRF members, their children would be put in prison. This way they were forced to be complainants. These people, whose names were included as complainants in the indictment of the SRF case that started in 2000, later on submitted petitions to the court or to the office of the public prosecutor, declaring that they were forced to be complainants due to pressure at the police security and they did not have any complaints either against Mr. Adnan Oktar or the SRF members at all.

The indictment of the SRF case which was initiated at the 1st State Security Court (DGM) with the allegation of “forming a crime ring acting for material gain” that violated Law No. 4422 consists of quotations from fabricated statements signed at the police security under torture. The SRF case was examined by 7 different court chambers and not even one evidence or document was found to prove the allegations in the indictment. On the contrary, there exist hundreds of documents, expert reports, jurisdictions, testimonies and scientific legal opinions that prove the innocence of, and evidence the white hands of the BAV community. In addition to this, the joint opinion of the 7 different courts which have examined our case is that there is no element of crime that may be considered within the stipulations of Law No. 4422 in the court case.

The SRF case which started in year 2000 was dismissed on 24.11.2005 due to the statute of limitations; however the same allegations were continued in a parallel court case based on the same principle cause for the 6 defendants who were not included within the scope of the statute of limitations. The court chamber examined the entire documentation in the case file and ruled a verdict that would clear all defendants in the SRF case from all accusations, and in this respect this case for the 6 defendants were concluded with a decision of acquittal on 22.01.2007. This decision by the 2nd High Criminal Court is an apparent evidence of the innocence of the SRF members. There are no complainants that have been able to present any concrete allegations in the case file, neither are there any evidence of a crime disfavoring the defendants, nor any testimonies that are in opposition. In summary, the case file is totally empty in terms of any evidence of a crime.

Despite this, some illegally structured groups that are opposing the intellectual line of Mr. Adnan Oktar and the SRF community because of ideological reasons arouse an artificial indignation by employing their extensions in some press organs and this way, attempt to repress jurisdiction and put obstacles to prevent the resolution of the SRF case with a verdict of acquittal. As a result of this repression, there were instances of unlawful implementations against the SRF during the appellate examination by the 8th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals. The judges of the 8th Criminal Chamber have counteracted the verdict of dismissal of the case based on statute of limitations by means of a controversial and unlawful ruling and this way have severely violated the individual rights of the people put to trial in the SRF case. The members of the 8th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals who were involved in this counteracting decision have disregarded the joint opinion of 7 courts which declared there was no element of crime violating Law No. 4422, as well as the hundreds of evidence in favor of the defendants and the verdict of acquittal by the 2nd High Criminal Court; and they have based their ruling merely on the fabricated statements received at the police security in year 2000. Moreover, they have not been able to give a legal account as justification of their decision. This development is considered with puzzlement by many experts of law all over the world.

Besides, in the ruling stipulated by the judges of the 8th Criminal Chamber, the wording used such as “the allegations are proven” has neither basis nor evidence, and is diametrically opposed to the current status of the evidence in the case file; and not even one of the courts have up to now consumed such expressions during the 7 year term of the jurisdiction. The allegations which have been “nullified with proofs” beyond dispute with facts and evidence in the case file, have been reproduced to be (only based on the testimonies at the police security) “proven” in the decree of the Supreme Court of Appeals prepared by the judges of the 8th Criminal Chamber. This grave unlawful act has to a great extent violated the right of the SRF members to a fair trial.

In addition to this, the judges of the 8th Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals have leaked their ruling to the press 3 days before its official declaration and signature, and this has paved the way for an illegal slander campaign targeting the SF community by some media corporations. These publications full of slanderous accusations have been an attack against the individual rights of the members of the SRF community, who had to acknowledge the decree counteracting the statute of limitations from the headlines in the newspapers.

All these unlawful acts are the product of efforts to hinder the intellectual efforts of Mr. Adnan Oktar and the SRF that is spreading throughout the entire world with an immense speed. Manipulating jurisdiction and attempting to show young, educated, modern and innocent individuals who are totally with high morals, and who have not committed any crimes in their lives as a criminal organization is a vile plot, which will ultimately fall off. The ones who are trying to set up an imaginary gang out of a community represented by researchers, authors, scientists, professionals and respectable individuals who endeavor for peace, love, respect, compassion and justice, are in an effort that is vain.

It is a very clear fact that the union of gang members would only bring out tragedies, on the contrary, the union of the SRF members give rise to a brilliant youth filled with high morals and love of their nation, and with high esteem of peace, love, respect and justice. The members of the SRF, who day and night show great efforts to this end, have faith in the rule of law and righteousness of the Turkish Justice.

As it is well known by the entire Turkish community and the millions of people who follow the works of Mr. Adnan Oktar, there exists no acts of crime or no criminal rings. In this website, we are presenting to your kind attention the entire documentation and jurisdictional statements in the case file that refute the false allegations against the SRF community up to our day.

Bibliography

Dozens of books have been published under Oktar's name.

References

1. Seeing the light - of science Salon.com
2. ^ Enserink, Martin (2007), "FAITH AND SCIENCE: In Europe's Mailbag: A Glossy Attack on Evolution", Science, 315 (5814): 925a, doi:10.1126/science.315.5814.925a, PMID 17303725
3. ^ Dean, Cornelia (2007-07-17). "Islamic Creationist and a Book Sent Round the World". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
4. ^ Islam Denounces Antisemitism .com
5. Islam Denounces Terrorism .com
6. Steinvorth, Daniel (2008-09-23). "'All Terrorists Are Darwinists': Interview with Adnan Oktar". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
7. About the SRF
8. Aslaneli, Hakan (1999-07-19). "Ciminli Case Turns into a War". Turkish Daily News. Archived from the original on 2007-05-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
9. Birch, Nicholas (2007-05-24) TURKEY: SCIENTISTS FACE OFF AGAINST CREATIONISTS
10. ""Harun Yahya" sentenced to prison". National Center for Science Education. 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
11. ^ "Interview with Harun Yahya". Al Jazeera. AUGUST 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
12. ^ Harun Yahya or Adnan Oktar: the Promised Mahdi? by Edip Yüksel
13. ^ LIFE STORY OF ADNAN OKTAR Jamiatul Ulama, Ask the Jamiat
14. PALESTINE ZIONISM: A SECULAR NATIONALISM THAT BETRAYED JUDAISM, Harun Yaha, An Invitation to the Truth
15. Harun Yahya - The Author harunyahya.com
16. Which Justice? "Adnan Oktar, who is the head of the group known as Adnan Hocacýlar stays in Kartal prison which has very comfortable wards..."
17. Harun Yahya and Holocaust Revisionism
18. ^ AXT 1996 report on antisemitism in Turkey
19. The Holocaust Deception
20. AXT 1998 report on antisemitism in Turkey
21. Udesky, Laurie (1997-03-27). "American Jewish organization sees emergence of 'Holocaust denial' in Turkey". Turkish Daily News. Archived from the original on 2008-11-13.
22. Stephen Roth Institute: Antisemitism And Racism
23. Islamic Times - An Open Letter To The Jewish People
24. Antisemitism Is Racism Totally Contrary to Islam, Harun Yahya
25. "Cloning Creationism in Turkey". National Center for Science Education. RNCSE 19 (6): 30-35. Retrieved 2007-05-17. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
26. ^ Ortega, Tony. Your OFFICIAL program to the Scopes II Kansas Monkey Trial, The Pitch, May 5, 2005.
27. "Creationist offers prize for fossil proof of evolution". The Independent. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 2007-05-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
28. Myers, PZ (September 29, 2008). "We're all going to be rich!". Pharyngula (blog). Retrieved 2007-04-28. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
29. Hovind, Kent (2005). "Hovind's $250,000 Offer". Dr. Dino.com. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
30. Wood, Ian (2006). "Is Kent Hovind A Liar Too?". No Answers in Genesis. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
31. ^ ISLAM and BUDDHISM, Harun Yahya
32. Mahdi as Hell: Look out Darwin
33. Movies, Harun Yahya.
34. The "Intelligent Design" Distraction, Harun Yahya, Harun Yahya International © 2007
35. "ATLAS OF CREATION".
36. "In the beginning". The Economist. 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2007-04-28. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
37. New Theory Uncovered in Commerce Secretary Gutierrez’s waiting room: Darwin behind 9/11
38. Myers, PZ (January 2008). "Well, fly fishing is a science". Pharyngula (blog). Retrieved 2007-04-28. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
39. ^ Dawkins, Richard (July 7, 2008). "Venomous Snakes, Slippery Eels and Harun Yahya". Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Retrieved 2008-10-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
40. Atlas of Creation by Harun Yahya « Forbidden Music
41. Harun Yahya: Win over Darwinism P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News, 23 November 2008
42. IFEX Alert
43. Why We’re Blocked in Turkey: Adnan Oktar, WordPress.com, August 19, 2007.
44. Eteraz, Ali (2007-08-20). "Shooting the messenger". Retrieved 2008-11-13. {{cite news}}: |section= ignored (help)
45. Ban on Google Groups SABAH Newspaper English Edition, April 11, 2008.
46. Hooper, Rowan (2008-09-19). "Turkey bans evolutionist's website". New Scientist Blogs. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
47. Butt, Riazat (2008-09-19). "Missing link: creationist campaigner has Richard Dawkins' official website banned in Turkey". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
48. Staff writer (2008-09-17). "Evolutionist Dawkins' Internet Site Banned In Turkey". Bianet. Retrieved 2008-09-20.
49. Arpa, Yasemin (2008-09-17). "Evrimci yazarın sitesini Adnan Oktar kapattırdı". NTV-MSNBC (in Turkish). Retrieved 2008-09-20.
50. Ozimek, John (2008-09-22). "The Turkish court bans Dawkins' website". The Register. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
51. Dawkins, Richard (September 23, 2008). "Zehirli Yilanlar, Kaygan Yilanbaliklari ve Harun Yahya". Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Retrieved 2008-10-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
52. Creationist Adnan Oktar Manages To Shut Down Another Internet Site
53. Cached version of the criticized article
54. "Vatan'ın internet sitesine sansür". Radikal (in Turkish). 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-10-15. Her gün 1.5 milyondan fazla ziyaret alan, Türkiye'nin en büyük 3 gazete sitesinden biri olan gazetevatan.com... {{cite news}}: |section= ignored (help)

External links

• Official Harun Yahya site
• [http://www2.truman.edu/~edis/writings/articles/hyahya.html Harun Yahya and Islamic

Creationism]

• Richard Dawkins on Harun Yahya's Atlas of Creation

• 1956 births
• People from Ankara
• Turkish Muslims
• Living people
• Turkish people
• Islamic creationists
• Islamic politics and Islamic world studies
• Holocaust deniers
• Creationist organisations
• Critics of Buddhism
• Internet censorship