Dear mister Harun Yahya, for an interview in the Dutch newspaper Het Parool we would like to ask you the next questions:
1- Can you tell something about yourself, who you are and what you do? And can you tell us what Islamic creationism is?
First of all, I want to thank you for this kind interview request that you have made. I would like to convey my regards, love and my best wishes to all the people of Netherlands. My books and the documentaries prepared based on my works have been translated into Dutch as well, for many years now. Besides, we have a website that features my works in Dutch; http://nl.harunyahya.com. The people of Netherlands follow my works with interest. I would like to thank all of them.
I am a genuine, pious and plain Muslim who deeply loves God and makes effort to abide by His Book, the Qur'an meticulously. I was born in Ankara in 1956. I am a sayyid with Caucasian origins. In other words, I am a descendant of Prophet Mohammad (saas). I attended Mimar Sinan University Fine Arts Academy and Istanbul University Philosophy Department.
Since my university years, I carried out very comprehensive research and studies on religious, political, social and scientific issues. During these years, I wrote more than 300 books and I continue to write.
My books had been translated into 73 languages and about 100 million copies of them have been published in approximately 40 countries in various languages. 8 millions of copies were sold only in Turkey. There are more than 800 websites with content based on my works.
In almost all countries from Iceland to Japan, Russia, the USA, Chili, South Africa to China and New Zealand and the entirety of the Islamic world, there is a very large group of people reading my books, watching my TV shows and closely following my website in English [www.harunyahya.com] and their number increases every other day.
2- Last week your name was often mentioned in the Dutch media in connection with an anti-gay flyer. Have you heard about that and what do you think of it?
From what I learned from the press, some people in the Netherlands produced a work criticizing homosexuality. Homosexuality is unlawful according to the Qur’an. Letting homosexual couples adopt children is particularly calamitous which in return results in many kids’ being subjected to violence and even rape. The Qur'an depicts homosexuality as an obscenity, an abomination. It is also unlawful according to the Gospels and the Torah. Just as how each Muslim is responsible for calling people to the righteous way by explaining that murder, theft, prostitution are unlawful in Islam, he must also explain that homosexuality is unlawful. However, this does not amount to saying that homosexuals must be maltreated, subjected to violence or be oppressed. That is something I would never accept. I am fundamentally against all forms of violence or bullying, no matter against whom it may be.
3- The flyer, which was distributed in Amsterdam, called for Muslims, Christians and Jews to unite against homosexuality because its forbidden by their holy books. Many people thought the flyer was inspired by your ideas. What do you think of that?
It is true that homosexuality is unlawful according to these three religions. In the Holy Books of all divine religions including Islam it is explicitly stated that homosexuality is unlawful (the Qur'an; Surat al-Araf, 80-82; Torah; the Book of Leviticus, 18/22, the Epistle to the Romans 1/24-28) and that those engaging in homosexuality will be punished in the Sight of God (the Qur'an; Surat al-Hijr, 68-75, Gospel, 2nd Peter 2, 6-10, and Leviticus 20/13). Consequently explaining the fact that homosexuality is unlawful, warning people against this abomination and guiding them to the truth is reasonable and righteous on the part of the members of the three divine religions.
In our day, certain circles attempt to promote homosexuality as a supposedly legitimate, innocent and even sympathetic act. This perversity is being injected into especially pious societies in an insidious and planned manner. This way they try to generate new generations divorced from their moral and religious values, who have been subjected to moral decline and who have lost their souls, identities, self-confidence, honor and dignity. This method would make it quite easy to control and manipulate the masses that are thus debilitated.
This perversity threatens not only Islamic communities, but also the members of all religions. It is important for everyone to be wary against this threat.
4-The flyer also stated that many same-sex parents abuse children. Do you agree with that? If so, how do you know that?
Regrettably, this is an accurate assessment. It is very daunting that in some countries homosexual couples are allowed to adopt children. As scientific research reveals, whether male or female, a great majority of these poor children are raped or subjected to spiritual and physical harm or forced to become homosexuals by these homosexual couples who have no moral or ethic bounds. It is a medical fact that sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS are seen among homosexuals the most. Furthermore, suicide and depression rates are the highest among homosexuals. Forcing these poor and innocent children into such a nightmare while there exists normal, mentally and morally upright families is the greatest persecution and injustice that can ever be made to them.
It is imperative to pass urgent new legislation that will put an end to this nightmare. It is of vital importance to save those children who are currently given to the care of homosexual couples before it is too late.
5 - The people who have made the flyer say they wanted to initiate a discussion about homosexuality. Do you support their goal?
Being neither an ideology nor a philosophical system, homosexuality is ineligible to be the topic of a debate. It is a perversion with all its obvious obnoxious, abhorrent aspects. That is why there exists an anomaly that needs to be corrected by education, not something to debate over.
6- According to the Dutch police, they were not inspired by your thoughts. Is that a disappointment for you?
From what I understand from your questions so far, the views expressed in the leaflet you refer to conform with mine. Moreover, in terms of timing it seems that this booklet was prepared after I brought up this issue intensely in the recent months. However, regardless of whether they were influenced by me or not, what ultimately matters is to bring up this vital issue, to advocate the truth and to raise awareness in the society. Yet I am against all forms of violence, oppression and pressure. If, in this leaflet, there is anything that could cause oppression on any group of people, then I would totally be against it.
This aside, a Muslim who has faith in God and trusts Him knows that everything is preordained by God and that everything is created with goodness. That is why he never suffers from negative thoughts such as disappointment, sorrow, fear or despondency.
7- What are your thoughts? How would you describe your philosophy?
My philosophy and my character is based on and shaped around the Qur’an. In the Qur’an, we can see that God expects us to have beautiful moral values such as love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, honesty, justice, bravery, generosity, selflessness, and a general desire to expand one's knowledge. We want these beautiful moral values to prevail all around the world.
It is a commandment in the Qur’an for any Muslim who lives by these good morals to advice other people to adopt such values and invite them to what is good, right and beautiful. At the same time, God also commands believers to advise other people to keep away from doing what is bad and wrong.
All my intellectual endeavors, my activities and my works are the result of my desire and effort to fulfill God's commandments properly.
8- The judiciary of the Netherlands is investigating that whether if those who prepared the notice should be punished or not. If they are punished, would you think it is fair?
It is obvious that this flyer was written with the best of intentions, and within the boundaries of freedom of thought and expression. It aims to warn and inform people about homosexuality while expressing its writer’s thoughts about it. As far as I can see, there isn't any aggressive, offensive expression or an insult in the flyer.
It is clear that advocating homosexuality within the scope of freedom of thought is not considered a crime. Therefore, expressing one's opposition to homosexuality should not be a considered a crime within the scope of freedom of thought as well. I believe that the courts of the Netherlands will evaluate this issue with fairness and common-sense, in this context.
9- Do you have many followers in Netherlands or in the countries other than Turkey? For instance, how many followers do you have in Netherlands?
Yes, I have followers from almost all countries around the world, from Africa to Asia. My works are widely read and broadcasts of my television programs that are simultaneously translated into English are watched in the Netherlands as well.
10 & 11- A newspaper in Netherlands describes you and your followers in the following way: "ultra conservative, anti-semitic and anti-western. They are creationists, they do not believe in evolution, besides, they do not believe in the genocide and they think that the September 11 attacks are Darwinist conspiracy theories. You are condemning homosexuality and you are anti-PKK. However you are pro-Erdogan. Erdoğan is known to be a close friend of Harun Yahya." do you really follow an ultra conservative, anti-semitic and anti-western mentality?
It is true that I have been the one who proved the fact of Creation and completely debunked the theory of evolution with scientific information from every aspect that it is not possible for it to ever make a scientific comeback. I thank God for the fact that He allowed me to be instrumental in this beautiful occasion.
They are also right about the fact that I'm against homosexuality, which is forbidden and condemned by all three divine religions. I am also against the ideology and the violence of Marxist, Leninist, Stalinist PKK, which is the bloodiest terrorist organization of the Middle East, and which caused the deaths of 40 thousand people up until now. However, I believe that an intellectual struggle should be given against these philosophies. The important thing is changing a person's mind towards goodness, wining that person over and working to make sure that everyone is good and on the right way. This is only possible through science, knowledge and education.
If by conservative you mean the conservation of what is good and beautiful, yes, in that sense, I'm a conservative. However, if you mean bigotry and fanaticism, on the contrary, I do have an ultra-modern mentality. I do appreciate Western civilization, art, culture, democracy, modernity, and understanding of freedom and quality in many aspects.
The Qur’an always praises art, science, enlightenment, quality and beauty; calls people to unity, brotherhood, peace and love. Whereas today, Islamic world is brewing with conflicts, clashes, sectarian, tribal and group based fights and wars. The reason for that is always bigotry; in other words, a fabricated understanding of religion based on superstitions and tribal traditions that have no place in the Qur’an.
According to the Qur’an, it is not possible for a Muslim to be anti-Semitic. Muslims cannot bear hostility towards a people that descended from a Prophet. According to the Qur’an, Jews are the People of the Book and are friends of Muslims. I have written a book with the title ‘The Holocaust Violence’ that describes in detail the cruelty Jews were subjected to. That is why, it is a very unfair and a completely baseless claim that I do not believe in the Holocaust.
12- Is it true that you consider -11 September as a Darwinist conspiracy theory?
On close examination, we can see that the main factor underlying the violence in the world is the Darwinist and materialist ideologies that regard humans as so-called developed animals; that attempt to degrade certain races, and maintain that conflict will bring about progression. In almost every country in the world, Darwinism is obligatorily taught at schools, and the youth are given an education, which essentially says "you are worthless, purposeless beings and the progress in societies is possible only through conflict." It is very easy for someone who receives that kind of education to gravitate towards ideologies that advocate violence. Someone who believes in God and the Hereafter would never target civilians or harmless, inoffensive people. According to the Qur’an, killing a human being is equivalent to killing all humanity. (The Holy Qur’an, 5/32) This is the truth behind not only the 9/11 attacks, but also all terror attacks.
13- What are your thoughts about a liberal country like Netherlands and a city like Amsterdam?
Even though I haven't been there personally, from what I can see in the photos and the movies, I know that the Netherlands is a beautiful country with its natural and historical texture. Amsterdam has a pleasant and aesthetic appearance with its historical buildings and closely linked canals that were carefully preserved for centuries.
The fact that people there, especially women, are respected and loved, and live in freedom, equality, comfort and joy without any pressure is very important. All these beautiful features are also praised and encouraged in the Qur’an. It is one of my greatest wishes that the entirety of the Islamic world reaches a similar and even higher level of culture, art, aesthetic, quality, modernity and freedom.
14- Are you a close friend of Erdoğan?
I haven't personally met Mr. Erdogan. But I believe he is an honest and sincere person. Like everyone else, he may have some flaws and mistakes. However, my impressions of him until now suggests that he is someone who loves his country, his people and his nation and is a hardworking and selfless person that works day and night for this cause. I find the serious accusations, and the condemnations bordering clear insults that appear in Turkish or foreign media against him, unfair and unscrupulous.
15- What is Islamic Creationism?
It is mathematically impossible for even a single protein molecule to come into being by chance. A protein needs the help of other proteins to be synthesized, and this means that the theory of evolution collapses before it starts. Moreover, hundreds of millions of fossils unearthed so far that are hundreds of millions of years old are completely identical to their living counterparts. This is one of the clearest and most definitive proofs that life hasn't evolved not even in the slightest, in any period of time.
Islamic creationism is a concept that became popular in the world after my books. Particularly the 900 pages first volume of my Atlas of Creation greatly helped build this agenda.
This book of mine had broad repercussions in the Western media and was subsequently banned by French Ministry of Education. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, after their meeting on November 4th, 2007, decided that ‘creationism’ and ‘intelligent design’ should be banned at schools. This contradiction -closely resembling the Inquisition decisions of the Middle Ages- which took place at the center of Europe that boasts about being the fortress of democracy and freedom of thought, has truly bewildered me. However, this unexpected environment made the Atlas of Creation a center of attention and interest. Hundred thousands of digital copies of the book were downloaded.
16 & 17- Why do you always have women called "kitties" around you? You think that women are more important than men. Why?
Women are incredibly valuable beings that display the most beautiful manifestations of God. In my opinion, certain qualities of women such as intelligence, love, compassion, mercy, profundity, consideration, kindness, grace, nobility, sensitivity, understanding, comprehension and intuition are superior to those of men. If you pay attention, you will see that in the presence of women, the quality of men increases too. Kindness, respect, decency, temperance, quality and good manners dominate the atmosphere.
I think that women should assume at least as much responsibility and authority as men do in every aspect of social life from politics, trade, business, academic life etc. For instance, at least half of the parliaments should be comprised of women representatives. The number of woman presidents, ministers and administrators should increase substantially. As for the reason why my lady friends are referred to as "kitties" is the fact that I love and value both women and cats very much, and also the disposition of cats and women are very much alike. They are both very sweet, very friendly and they both know how to make people love them, they both are blessings.
18- What do you think about the Gulen movement?
It may be that initially, some people in the Gulen organization might have started off as a movement with the aim of serving Islam with sincere intentions. However, in time it has been revealed that just as it happened in many Islamic countries in different ways, the Gulen organization has turned into a construct that is being used by the British Deep State in Turkey. Especially the coup attempt of July 15th, as a result of which 246 people were martyred, was a very important indication that revealed what kind of structure and mentality this organization has assumed. Of course, the prosecution is still ongoing. As it is in every country of law, Turkey is waiting for the results of the prosecution. However, our nation will never forget the massacre that took place on the night of July 15th.
19- Is there anything else you want to share with us and our Dutch readers?
We are currently in the End Times. In the near future, we will see Jesus Messiah and Mahdi insha'Allah. Our Prophet, informed us 1,400 years ago of the current events with the most striking details in his hadiths. From the occupation of Afghanistan to the war of Iraq, from the fire in Kuwait oil wells to the war that 80 different nations would participate in Syria, our Prophet miraculously announced hundreds of events in his hadiths.
Again, from the hadiths we can understand that bigger events are drawing near.
However, following all these hardships, peace, love, happiness, wealth and tranquility will reign upon the world by means of the movements of Mahdi and Messiah.
Our brothers can find detailed information about these subjects along with their sources from this web site; http://www.harunyahya.com/list/type/43/
I send my warmest greetings, regards and love to you, your readers, and to the whole Dutch people. Thank you.
