The topic of the interview: Anti-semitism vs Islamophobia
1) What do the two phenomena -antisemitism and Islamophobia- mean in brief?
ADNAN OKTAR: Anti-Semitism is a pagan teaching that no Muslim can ever adopt. The term is generally interpreted in the sense of “hostility toward Jews,” though it actually means “hostility toward Shem,” in other words, hatred of “Semitic” peoples descended from Shem. The Semitic peoples are basically made up of Arabs, Jews and certain other ethnic groups of Middle East origins. It is impossible for any Muslim to feel anger against any community solely on the basis of ethnic origin or other such attributes, or to hold one such group superior to others. In verse 13 of Surat al-Hujurat, Allah reveals that He has created different peoples in order for them to become acquainted with one another and that it is the most pious who is most superior in the Sight of Allah. In addition, the Jews are a community descended from the prophets. As our Lord reveals in the Qur’an, Muslims love all the prophets and make no distinction between them. They look affectionately on and protect the descendants of these blessed prophets. There can be no question of a Muslim feeling anger toward or wanting to destroy the descendants of the prophets. The Jews are entrusted to us, inherited from the Prophets Ibrahim (as), Musa (as), Sulayman (as) and Dawud (as). The finest example of how this legacy should be protected is shown us by our Prophet (saas). That is the attitude we must also adopt. We love our devout Jewish brothers, feel affection for them and want them to be free to live by their faith. We want young Jews to be more religious, to live as they wish in the Holy Land, to worship and do business there. It is atheist Zionists whom Muslims say are wrong and against whom they wage an intellectual struggle. Atheist Zionism is a bloodthirsty and racist ideology, one that oppresses not just Muslims, but also devout Christians and devout Jews. That is why many devout Jews are uneasy in Israel. The construction of the Turkish-Islamic Union will guarantee that devout Jews, devout Christians and Muslims can live together as brothers. This union, which will act in the light of Qur’anic moral values, will be the salvation of all.
The concept known as Islamophobia is a stratagem designed by Masons, atheist Zionists and Darwinists. There are certain people who supposedly act in the name of Islam, but those forces seek to give the impression that their behavior, which is incompatible with the Qur’an and the Sunnah, is actually present in Islam. When we look at the origins of such people, we see they have all had a Darwinist, materialist education, generally in Europe or America. We see they have fully adopted Darwinism but later began describing themselves as Muslims. These people say they are Muslims, but they have posters of Che Guevara, Lenin or Stalin on the walls of their homes. These people attempt, at least in their own eyes, to equate the ideologies of Darwinism and materialism, that espouse violence, terrorism, ruthlessness and selfishness, with Islam. But Islam is a religion of love and peace. Islam harbors forgiveness, understanding, freedom of thought and expression, protection, breadth of ideas, beauty, progressiveness and civilization. By Allah’s leave we have thwarted this snare of the Freemasons and atheist Zionists and have proved, with irrefutable evidence, that Darwinism and materialism lie at the root of terror and violence. For that reason, insha’Allah, they will be unable to achieve any results by these means in the future.
2) Why is the world, especially Western countries, focusing on anti-semitism and at the same time neglecting the rise of Islamophobia?
ADNAN OKTAR: We need to tell people about Islam, the Qur’an and the Prophet (saas) very well. A human model that does not delight in art, kindness or beauty, that has a harsh and narrow mindset, is incompatible with Islam. Muslims are at the highest level of modernity. They are more modern than this century, more modern than life in the next century. They are more modern than the centuries after that. Being a Muslim means being the top quality, most intelligent, most heroic, finest thinking, most joyful, most outward-looking and loving person in the world, someone who beautifies his surroundings, delights in beauty and is full of an internal fervor. It means being filled with love. A Muslim if joyful, prays, delights in beauty, speaks well and strives for the happiness of those around him. Islam is the water that extinguishes terror. Can water cause fire? Water puts fire out. For that reason, we need to tell people how values such as love, affection, compassion, respect, profound thought, sincerity and helping others lie at the heart of Islam. They need to be told that Islam cannot support terrorism. In the Qur’an, Allah tells us to even forgive someone who kills, a murderer. How can such a faith support terror?
But this subject will only be entirely done away with in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Through his deeds, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will reveal that Islam is a faith of peace and love, will silence all weapons, eliminate all disputes and ensure the spread of love, friendship and brotherhood. In that event, there will be no more misunderstandings, no fear, and no clash of civilizations, insha’Allah.
3) What is the role of hardline sects such as Wahhabism in fanning the flames of Islamophobia?
ADNAN OKTAR: I am a member of the Ahl al-Sunnah, and a Hanafi. But I also consider my Shiite, Alawite, Jaferite and Wahabbist brothers to have great piety and to be quite perfect. I regard them as very good people, as pure Muslims, as people who live by the faith in a very fine manner. We are like the students in a school. We are all one whole. We serve the same purpose. We believe in the same Allah, the same Book and have the same qibla. We believe in the same prophet. Everything we have is the same. There is merely a competition in terms of piety. I therefore regard the idea of keeping one’s distance from other Muslims, stemming from sectarian differences, as very wrong. No true Muslim would ever do that. What room is there for sectarian difference? It is out of the question. Allah says in the Qur’an that we compete in terms of piety. But they are all our immaculate and beloved Muslim brothers. Of course, if there is an error or a state of affairs that might be misinterpreted, then we explain this to and put one another right, in a kindly manner and as brothers. But we must do this in a spirit of brotherhood, protecting and watching over each other, thinking about our brothers’ life in the Hereafter.
One of the most important things that Muslims who wish to serve Islam and prevent it being misinterpreted must do should be to be united and espouse Muslim unity. It is a sin for Muslims to be divided and not to act as one. It is obligatory, according to the Qur’an, for Muslims to act as one, as brothers and to collect around a single leader. But Muslims are not doing this. So these false impressions of Islam persist, and the oppression of and attacks on Muslims will continue. Their blood will continue to be shed in Palestine, Iraq, East Turkestan and Afghanistan. The solution to all these is the establishment of the Turkish-Islamic Union. Every state will remain a separate nation state and they will all behave freely inside their own borders, but they will have a spiritual leader at their head. It is essential for Muslims to have a spiritual leader. Then all this conflict and strife will come to an end. In that event, if any harm comes to a hair on Muslims’ heads anywhere in the world, that will immediately be stopped since all Muslims will act together. But if they are all fragmented, if they act in a way that exposes them to a policy of divide and rule, than it will be easy to swallow them up one by one. But it is impossible to swallow up the whole Muslim world as a single bloc. Muslims must make this obligation a reality without further delay.
4) What are the main measures that should be taken by the Muslim world and Islamic bodies such as the OIC (Organization of the Islamic Conference) to counter Islamophobia?
ADNAN OKTAR: The official activities of existing bodies are important, of course, but no definitive results can be achieved through them. These are things that need to be done with excitement, fervor, joy and love. They cannot be done by officialdom and bureaucratic measures. If the Islamic world binds together in love, friendship and brotherhood and acts in line with the Qur’an, then there will be no more Islamophobia and no need to strive to prevent it. Once the Turkish-Islamic world unites and once the Muslim world has a spiritual leader at its head, then the moral values of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas) will be implemented at once and spread all around. Islam is a communal faith. Once the Turkish-Islamic Union is established and once we have a spiritual leader, that leadership will make good all those deficiencies. They will be replaced by love, affection, compassion, friendship and brotherhood. Cleanliness, beauty, art and science will develop and an immaculate civilization will grow up. That is why I want the Turkish-Islamic Union to be founded right away.
5) How can Turkey and Iran join together to counter Islamophobia?
ADNAN OKTAR: We must strive with all our might for the Turkish-Islamic Union to be set up. Once the Turkish-Islamic Union has been established, everyone will see the beauty, rationality and quality of Islamic moral values in action. For one thing, the Turkish-Islamic Union is a union of love, a union of hearts. Love, altruism. Mutual aid, compassion, tolerance, understanding and compromise lie at the heart of that union. In addition, the union’s aim will be mutual respect and to attain the highest levels in art, science and technology. With the foundation of the union, the whole world, not just Turkish and Muslim communities, will achieve enlightenment. The Turkish-Islamic Union will be a union of moderation, not one of fanaticism, oppression and aggression. It will ensure the security of both all the nations under its banner and of all the nations of the world. Ever since the time of our Prophet (saas), Muslims have led the way in such fields as reason, science, philosophy, art, culture and civilization, and have produced the most amazing works. The Turkish-Islamic Union will lead the way to the 21st century being a time of true enlightenment. The Turkish-Islamic Union will enshrine freedom of ideas and expression. People of all faiths and ideas will be free to express those ideas and beliefs without fear of oppression. Their rights will be protected in all regards, and everyone’s ideas will be tolerated. The Muslim societies under the leadership of the Turkish-Islamic Union will respect other people’s views and will constitute communities in which freedom and justice prevail, in which all oppression and injustice is eliminated. The Islamic world will not just ensure the freedom and security of Muslims, but will also lead the way in culture and civilization across the world. There will be no false impressions of Islam in such a world, and all such things will naturally disappear. The salvation of the world lies in the foundation of the Turkish-Islamic Union. But until then, there will be no end to injustices, oppression, persecution, conflict and misunderstandings. A sincere effort must therefore be made on the subject. But it must not be forgotten that unity among Muslims, the global rule of the moral values of the Qur’an, is promised in the Qur’an and set out in detail in the hadith of our Prophet (saas), and will definitely come to pass. The coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus (as), the Islamic world uniting under the leadership of Hazrat Mahdi (as), the foundation of the Turkish-Islamic Union and Islamic moral values prevailing the world through the Prophet Jesus (as) are all in the destiny of this world.
