Introduction: Why the Theory of Evolution?

For some people the theory of evolution or Darwinism has only scientific connotations, with seemingly no direct implication in their daily lives. This is, of course, a common misunderstanding. Far beyond just being an issue within the framework of the biological sciences, the theory of evolution constitutes the underpinning of a deceptive philosophy that has held sway over a large number of people: Materialism.

Materialist philosophy, which accepts only the existence of matter and presupposes man to be 'a heap of matter', asserts that he is no more than an animal, with 'conflict' the sole rule of his existence. Although propagated as a modern philosophy based on science, materialism is in fact an ancient dogma with no scientific basis. Conceived in Ancient Greece, the dogma was rediscovered by the atheistic philosophers of the 18th century. It was then implanted in the 19th century into several science disciplines by thinkers such as Karl Marx, Charles Darwin and Sigmund Freud. In other words science was distorted to make room for materialism.

Karl Marx made it clear that Darwin's theory provided a solid ground for materialism and thus also for communism. He also showed his sympathy to Darwin by dedicating Das Kapital, which is considered as his greatest work, to him. In the German edition of the book, he wrote: "From a devoted admirer to Charles Darwin"

The past two centuries have been a bloody arena of materialism: Ideologies based on materialism (or competing ideologies arguing against materialism, yet sharing its basic tenets) have brought permanent violence, war and chaos to the world. Communism, responsible for the death of 120 million people, is the direct outcome of materialistic philosophy. Fascism, despite pretending to be an alternative to the materialistic world-view, accepted the fundamental materialist concept of progress though conflict and sparked off oppressive regimes, massacres, world wars and genocide.

Besides these two bloody ideologies, individual and social ethics have also been corrupted by materialism.

The deceptive message of materialism, reducing man to an animal whose existence is coincidental and with no responsibility to any being, demolished moral pillars such as love, mercy, self-sacrifice, modesty, honesty and justice. Having been misled by the materialists' motto "life is a struggle", people came to see their lives as nothing more than a clash of interests which, in turn, led to life according to the law of the jungle.

Traces of this philosophy, which has a lot to answer as regards man-made disasters of the last two centuries, can be found in every ideology that perceives differences among people as a 'reason for conflict'. That includes the terrorists of the present day who claim to uphold religion, yet commit one of the greatest sins by murdering innocent people.

The theory of evolution, or Darwinism, comes in handy at this point by completing the jigsaw puzzle. It provides the myth that materialism is a scientific idea. That is why, Karl Marx, the founder of communism and dialectical materialism, wrote that Darwinism was "the basis in natural history" for his worldview.1

However, that basis is rotten. Modern scientific discoveries reveal over and over again that the popular belief associating Darwinism with science is false. Scientific evidence refutes Darwinism comprehensively and reveals that the origin of our existence is not evolution but creation. Allah has created the universe, all living things and man.

This book has been written to make this fact known to people. Since its first publication, originally in Turkey and then in many other countries, millions of people have read and appreciated the book. In addition to Turkish, it has been printed in English, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Bosnian, Arabic, Albanian, Urdu, Malay and Indonesian. (The text of the book is freely available in all these languages at www.evolutiondeceit.com.)

The impact of The Evolution Deceit has been acknowledged by standard-bearers of the opposing view. Harun Yahya was the subject of a New Scientist article called "Burning Darwin". This leading popular Darwinist periodical noted in its 22 April 2000 issue that Harun Yahya "is an international hero" sharing its concern that his books "have spread everywhere in the Islamic world."

Science, the leading periodical of the general scientific community, emphasized the impact and sophistication of Harun Yahya's works. The Science article "Creationism Takes Root Where Europe, Asia Meet", dated 18 May 2001, observed that in Turkey "sophisticated books such as The Evolution Deceit and The Dark Face of Darwinism... have become more influential than textbooks in certain parts of the country". The reporter then goes on to assess Harun Yahya's work, which has initiated "one of the world's strongest anti-evolution movements outside of North America".

Although such evolutionist periodicals note the impact of The Evolution Deceit, they do not offer any scientific replies to its arguments. The reason is, of course, that it is simply not possible. The theory of evolution is in complete deadlock, a fact you will discover as you read the following chapters. The book will help you realise that Darwinism is not a scientific theory but a pseudo-scientific dogma upheld in the name of materialist philosophy, despite counter evidence and outright refutation.

It is our hope that The Evolution Deceit will for a long time continue its contribution towards the refutation of materialist-Darwinist dogma which has been misleading humanity since the 19th century. And it will remind people of the crucial facts of our lives, such as how we came into being and what our duties to our Creator are.