The Mimar Sinan Years in Adnan Oktar's Own Words

Kırşehir Ahi TV, July 15^th, 2008

ADNAN OKTAR: Masha’Allah. Surely it is God Who guides people. I did not pray during my high school years. At the last year of the high school, at that time there was a general anarchy and terror in Turkey. I thought about the existence and oneness of God. I examined Marxism and fascism. It was an environment where many incidents were happening. The Ankara Political Sciences Faculty, Ankara Kurtuluş High School, Law School, Hacettepe University, they were all in my neighborhood. There were always armed clashes, incidents and bombings. I used to see people being beaten before my eyes. They were shot. God protected Middle East. I saw them all closely. I saw protests being staged on the streets. People from all walks of life used to participate in marches. Great incidents were happening. God raised me in such an environment. In such an environment, I chose this path by thinking. Many thanks to God. I went straight into the path of Islam and the Qur'an. I never forget; I went to Ulus, a neighborhood in Ankara, when I was about to start praying. It was Sunday. There were books, some pamphlets on sale. There was a pamphlet about how to pray the regular prayers. It was a small, thin book. And I could not find anyone who could teach me how to pray. I bought the book, and I was trying to put into practice whatever I learned from that pamphlet. I was reading, learning and practicing. Then I purchased the catechism written by Ömer Nasuhi Bilmen. It was very inclusive. I used to read it all around the day. I purchased the Ihya by Imam Gazali. I also bought Letters by Imam Rabbani. Finally I bought the Treatise of Light by Said Nursi. This book made a very serious, deep impact on me. I benefitted a lot from it. Many thanks to God. Meanwhile I was trying to find people to tell, for I have acquired a lot of information. I decided to enter Fine Arts Academy in Fındıklı. It was a very convenient place to start. Marxists were in majority and the school was totally under their control. On the other hand it was the fortress of arts. Master Said Nursi also stated that against atheism, Muslims would be engaging in a struggle by employing arts and unity. I thought to myself that I was going to the right place. I entered the examinations. Many thanks to God, I came in third in the exam. They liked the pictures I painted very much. They used to come and check my drawing frequently. I was drawing charcoal very beautifully. They were very impressed. I was the third. The school was very proper for my purposes. There were workshops and attendance was not compulsory. The school was all day. I carried out my works very easily, many thanks to God. I distributed books about Darwinism. I preached Islam to them. Once I was convinced that I accomplished everything I wished at the school, I decided to move to the Philosophy Department of Istanbul University. I entered the university exams. It was my first choice and I also passed the exam. I proceeded my work in this university too. But then I noticed that it is more influential to communicate the message of Islam through books rather than preaching to individuals one by one. This way I decided that it would have impact on large masses. That was the time I decided to write these books. And you know the rest, these books came about. In the past I used to use documents to tell every each of them. For instance I gathered the documents about Darwinism. I had a file, I had a black file. I used to open it and tell them one by one. Then I thought that it would be better to compile them in a book rather than keeping them in a file. Then it would be easier to distribute them to everyone. Finally many thanks to God, these beautiful, successful books came about. But of course it is God Who makes them all. It is also God Who gathers people around me, Who makes them love. This is a miracle, a university student, he is young, handsome, well-off, very smart, college graduate, from a good family. The world, all the blessings of this world awaits such a person. But once they heard my name, these young people were coming to me. They were quite impressed from my speeches. Many thanks to God, may be God made my sincerity instrumental for it. I was still surprised. That so many people were loving me, gathering around me, so self-sacrificing, so loyal, so sincere, with such resoluteness despite all the oppression we had been through.

Al Baghdadi, August 5^th, 2008

ADNAN OKTAR: My family is a secular, classical family. They are from the middle class. A family in Ankara. I had my parents, my brother and grandparents. It was a secular family. Only my late grandfather used to pray. Sometimes my father used to go to mosque for Friday prayer. My mother was not fulfilling her regular prayers. Nor my brother. In my high school years, in the last year of high school, I started to fulfill my prayers after making research about God and grasping His existence. I purchased some books, various catechisms. At that time I purchased the catechism by Omar Nasuhi Bilmen. I purchased the books of Said Nursi and many similar books. Indeed there was the book of Huseyin Hilmi Işık. It was a book that consisted very detailed information. I bought the Ihya by Imam Gazali, the Letters by Imam Rabbani, and the books of Abu Laysi Samarkand. I also bought various other booklets of our times’ scholars. Reading them constantly I deepened my knowledge. Then I came to Fındıklı Fine Arts Academy in Istanbul. I passed the exams of this college in the third rank. Entering this school was something wanted, for it was entirely under the control of Marxists. I thought that I could communicate the message of Islam readily there. Indeed I embarked on my mission there very efficiently. In the corridors of the school, in the breaks and even during the classes I was carrying out my mission. Sometimes instructors used to come and disperse the people around me. Especially during the workshops they did not let. That is how I carried out my activities. Then there were some prominent instructors there. There were professors. I had pamphlets on the invalidity of the theory of evolution. I was distributing them and then asked them to have their opinion about them. I told them, “Sir, would you criticize this for me after reading it?” But my main goal was, of course, to make them read the book. Rather than criticism, I knew that I would accomplish my goal if I made them read the book. Indeed, this is how it happened. I had quite an influence at school. Then I had my transfer to the Istanbul University Philosophy Department. I again started my activities there. Then I started writing my books that you know right now and I still continue.

Çay TV, July 23^rd , 2008

ADNAN OKTAR: In 1979 I entered the Interior Design department of the Fine Arts Academy. I was fourth in the exams. But the truth of the matter is that, my purpose was not only to be educated in interior design. I considered the Fine Arts Academy as a proper place to communicate the message of Islam. It was under the control of Marxists and various communist groups. There was almost no one who fulfilled his regular prayers. Even if there were any, they were hiding themselves. There was no one around who prayed. There was the Molla mosque nearby, I used to go there for Friday prayers and the normal noon and afternoon prayers. Sometimes I used to perform my evening prayers there. I saw that it was a place very proper for communicating the message of Islam. Even we were gathering in our building; students used to sit at my table and crowds were gathering. ınstructors used to come and warn me from time to time to stop preaching. But I continued. After 2-3 years there, I made three or four friends. This was the nucleus of our community. Then it progressed gradually.

Mersin TV, September 5^th, 2008

ADNAN OKTAR: I came to academy in 79. The Fine Arts Academy. The academy had a library. I found the first fossil pictures there. I was carrying out an anti-Darwinist work but books were Darwinist books. Still they put fossil pictures. I noticed that the fossils had not changed a bit. There were few of them but they had never changed. There was a photocopy machine in the library. I copied them there and prepared a file for myself. Hilmi Yavuz, a leftist Marxist academician was our instructor. He had a stance against religion. He did not believe in religion. I gave him the booklet about evolution; we discussed, I told him. Many thanks to God, years later many important changes happened. Right now he believes in God and advocates religion against Darwinism. There was Ercüment Tarcan; I don’t know if he is still alive. May God grant him a long life if he is still alive. He also had materialist and Darwinist views then. He said, “If a single cell is made, I will throw myself from the window.” I never forget his words. I would of course never want him to throw himself from the window. But I clearly saw that he was impressed. Then I was collecting pictures. For instance I saw evidence advocating Creation in the Bilim and Teknik magazine. I filed all of them. I was making a great work then but that God provides such strong evidence recently is a miracle. God shakes the world now; for instance we accomplished many things in Russia. Many thanks to God.

Sivas Sipas TV, September 2^nd, 2008

ADNAN OKTAR: There were a few people who used to gather around me at first, then they used to go. That is what happened in 79, 80, 81 and even 82. For instance there were three or five people coming, and then only one or two of them were remaining left. This is destiny, of course. This is how it is predestined by God. But I believed that we would advance, become stronger and become very good. I knew that. I believed that I had to be very patient. While I was doing my job, the school was under Marxists’ control; many leftist organizations and leftist fractions were prevalent. I was going to the canteen of the school and preaching there. I held an open debate; leftists were gathering around me. But they realized that I was becoming very influential. They considered it very risky then. The leftist students in the workshop showed their knives in a threatening manner. They wanted to give the message that they didn’t want me to carry out such an activity there. But I asked them to bring their leaders if they were unable to debate themselves. They did not accept it. But despite this I….

Ordu Kanal 52, August 29^th, 2008

ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, I passed the exams of the interior decoration department of the Fındıklı Fine Arts Academy - that was its name then- in the 79th and 80th term. I ranked third. Then Hilmi Yavuz, the famous philosopher, poet and instructor, was one of our instructors. In all classes our instructors used to tell Darwinism and materialist philosophy in an advocating manner. I was also listening to his lectures. One day I gave him a booklet about Darwinism and told him, “Sir, would you criticize this for me after reading it?” He said, “It would be my pleasure.” After two or three weeks, I went to his room and asked if he read the book and what was his opinion about it. From his tone I realized that he was impressed. Again another day I told him, “Teacher, a new skull has been found; this is an evidence putting an end to the debate on human evolution. What do you think?” He examined it; then I had its photocopy in my file. He said, “Let’s assume that Darwinism has collapsed, what would happen?.” But I realized that he was convinced about it. I said, “Everyone says that everyone would turn to faith in God.” There is no one who advocates otherwise. Then we were distanced a little bit. He was diverting when he saw me on the way but now masha’Allah he now has the tone of advocating the religion against Darwinism. He advocates conservative values. He has changed very much, masha’Allah. This means that that information has become influential in the long term insha’Allah.