Reports In The World Press

November 2004

The November 2004 English and German editions of the well-known National Geographic magazine featured a cover story on "Was Darwin Wrong?" Mentioning individuals and groups that reveal the theory of evolution's errors, the report cited Harun Yahya and described the great unease caused by his works among materialist circles:

... Islamic creationists such as Harun Yahya, author of a recent volume titled The Evolution Deceit, who points to the six-day creation story in the Koran as literal truth and calls the theory of evolution "nothing but a deception imposed on us by the dominators of the world system."

18 May 2001

The influence of his books on evolution, especially the internationally renowned The Evolution Deceit, is reflected in the well-known scientific evolutionary magazine Science. Robert Koenig's article (18 May 2001), "Creationism Takes Root Where Europe, Asia Meet," gives a lengthy account of Harun Yahya's struggle against this deception, the international success of his The Evolution Deceit, and the defeat of evolutionists in Turkey. The article emphasizes that this broad academic endeavor—"One of the world's strongest anti-evolution movements outside North America"—seeks to cause the collapse of the theory of evolution on the scientific front and states that it is making inroads in other Muslim countries. Koenig also discussed the international success of The Evolution Deceit and mentioned that some evolutionist scientists in Turkey complain that "books by Harun Yahya such as The Evolution Deceit have become more influential than textbooks in certain parts of Turkey." In the article, their concerns are expressed in these words "… Many evolutionist scientists fear they are losing ground to creationists in public opinion."

NCSE Reports, a magazine published by The National Center for Science Education (based in Berkeley, California), is supported by the American Academy of Scientists. Although this group is essentially evolutionist, its November-December 1999 issue was devoted to Harun Yahya's works dealing with the theory of evolution's collapse. The cover bears the title "Islamic Scientific Creationism: A New Challenge in Turkey" and gives this introduction:

... Most representative is Harun Yahya's text The Evolution Deceit. The book comes in 2 versions - a large, attractive 370-page volume notable for its many full-color illustrations and slick appearance (Yahya 1997) and an abridged 128-page booklet with fewer illustrations, which was widely distributed free of charge to the public (Yahya 1998)…

Observing the awesome and orderly aspects of nature - the heavens and the stability of the earth, lightning and rain, useful plant and fruits, and so on - prompts common sense to conclude that all this must be designed for a purpose (13 ar-Rad 2, 3; 30 ar-Rum 20-27)...

WHO IS HARUN YAHYA? Adnan Oktar, using the pen-name "Harun Yahya" devoted his life to explaining the existence and the unity of Allah and the magnificence of the morals of the Qur'an. He spent all his life serving for this purpose from his early ages. He has never given up against the difficulties he faced. The biography states that Oktar entered university in 1979 and has authored over 100 books since 1986 - a remarkable output indeed for a single person.

This report described Harun Yahya as an "international hero."

The 22 April 2001 issue of the world-renowned New Scientist, which investigated creationist movements throughout the world, offered this interpretation of Harun Yahya and his books:

[Harun Yahya] is an international hero. His books have spread everywhere in the Islamic world. He has developed his own Islamic creationism.

June 2001

The Student British Medical Journal is an international monthly student journal published by the British Medical Association, which produces over twenty-seven specialty journals. In the June 2001 edition, its book review section carried an analysis of The Evolution Deceit. Some of the comments on this four-star book—rated by the reviewer, University of Manchester medical student Amina Rahman—read as follows: "The Evolution Deceit completely explodes the myths surrounding the theory, with nothing but evidence-based scientific research and knowledge." "The rapid advancement of science in the last century has only served to give a better perception of the immensity of the problem of the origin of life on earth rather than to its solution. Thousands of scientists around the world, particularly in the United States and Europe, defy the theory of evolution and have published many books on its invalidity. This is just one of them."

"There are beautiful illustrations of fossils and wildlife and photos of famous scientists."

"There is a section at the end of the book that is mind blowing with its simple but phenomenal concepts."

"It is a book for anyone genuinely interested in understanding how life came to be, but be prepared to approach the subject with an open mind."

Spring 2000

One booklet of book reviews, published by the Islamic Foundation and the International Institute of Islamic Thought, contained the following description of The Evolution Deceit:

"Scientifically, with appropriate illustrations, the author proves that each organism of every species was Divinely created perfect and complete from its very inception with everything required for a successful life."

10 October 2003

An article published in the 10 October 2003 edition of daily Al Watan devoted considerable space to the Arabic-language edition of A Chain of Miracles. The report emphasized how the miracles that Allah has brought into being are revealed in great detail, gave a short account of the author's life, and described the book's purpose, as given below:

In this book we gave various examples from the living and non-living universe; our goal is to be a means in making people look at the universe and take heed. Actually these are only mere drops, for the entire universe abounds with these miracles. These seen signs are paths to believers' faith in Allah.

The German-language Encyclopaedia of Mathematics website considers the theory of evolution in the Islamic world in its "Creation" section, which also provides information about Harun Yahya's works. It notes that his works have an especially large readership in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country, and Malaysia.

Ulus carried a report by Hasret Rustemov in which Perished Nations was reviewed. In this article, "A New Book about the Wisdom of the Qur'an," Rustemov said the following:

(…) It is genuinely very difficult at this time to encounter any scientific literature based on the Qur'an. In this book the author [Harun Yahya] describes the sudden destruction of ancient civilizations that existed before the Qur'an and the way their peoples were wiped off the face of the earth through the relevant verses and the results of the latest research in archaeology, geography, history and other sciences. The author many times notes that the Qur'an is a book sent down by Allah and the way of adhering to the truth. Many books by Western scholars about the destruction of people have been published, but what makes this book different from the others is not an investigation into the reasons why very different peoples perished, but the way these events written in the Qur'an are described in a more accessible manner.

… Becoming acquainted with these works alone shows how devotedly he works in order to achieve that end. In my view, this book will attract the interest not just of those with an interest in religion, but also of people interested in sociology, history and philosophy.

IBERR, an umbrella organization for Islamic educational institutions in North America, Great Britain, South Africa, and elsewhere, published an article on Harun Yahya in its monthly bulletin. Chaired by Yusuf Islam, IBERR plays a significant role in determining the syllabuses of Islamic schools worldwide and uses Harun Yahya's works to carry out its activities. The report describes his works in these terms:

At its 2004 meeting in Qatar, IBERR examined Harun Yahya's work and discussed whether his books should be included in the syllabuses of IBERR-affiliated schools. Speakers stated that these works were an important component of the syllabus in various schools, such as Islamic schools in Nigeria. Harun Yahya's works attract considerable interest from both students and teachers.

A Gulf Times report on the gathering

This newspaper, which reported on the IBERR assembly, provided detailed information about the meeting's activities. According to it, an important address on "educational resources," based on Harun Yahya's works, was given.

December 2002

The December 2002 edition of the ISIM Newsletter, published monthly by the Holland-based International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World, carried an article by Dr. Martin Riexinger of Freiburg University. Entitled "The Islamic Creationism of Harun Yahya," it contained references to the global impact of his works: For some time Islamic publishing in the West has been associated with pamphlets in awkward English printed on pulp. Strolling through Islamic bookshops in Britain one immediately realizes how things have changed: beautifully edited books are offered for considerable prices. A notable part of these publications is dedicated to the defence of Islam against the challenges of Christianity and materialism. Outstanding examples for this new tendency are the writings of the prolific Turkish author Harun Yahya (pseudonym of Adnan Oktar), whose list of Turkish publications includes about 180 titles, most of them dedicated to the refutation of Darwinism. The bulk of the publications by Harun Yahya just reiterates adorned with beautiful illustrations the basic claims proposed in his most popular work Evrim Teorisinin Çokusu (The Evolution Deceit) with detailed reference to certain phenomena. ... His articles appear on many Islamic homepages kept by organizations or individuals. His international reputation is due to the extensive use of the internet. He may thus be considered the first Islamic intellectual who has based his career on the use of this most up-to-date technology.

Russia's www.islam.ru is one of the country's largest Islamic websites. It has reported on the widespread interest generated by Harun Yahya's works:

A report in the 24 June 2003 edition of Oslobodjenje, one of Bosnia's largest dailies, reviewed the Bosnian-language edition of The Evolution Deceit. In summary, the report gave the following information:

In his book The Evolution Deceit Harun Yahya discusses the invalidity of Darwinism and its links to various other ideologies … Following a brief history of the theory, he then goes on to demolish the theory in terms of both the evidence discovered in fossils and from the point of view of molecular biology, by setting out the scientific facts … In the same way, the author shows that the theory is based on no scientific grounds, and definitively demolishes such scenarios of the theory of evolution as primitive life first appearing in the seas and then evolving and all other claims regarding evolution … The author, who writes under the pen name Harun Yahya, was born in Ankara in 1956 and studied at the Istanbul Mimar Sinan University Faculty of Fine Arts and the Istanbul University Department of Philosophy. He has written a great many works on the subjects of faith, science and politics since the 1980s.

The daily Al Riyadh has described Harun Yahya as one of Turkey's most important thinkers. In summary, this article, which introduces the author's website, contains the following details:

The international news portal Moheet carried Radhwan Adem's analysis of The Miracle of Creation in Plants. It contained the following lines:

Harun Yahya's book The Miracle of Creation in Plants recently emerged from the ar-Risale publishing house. In that book, the author refers to the interesting secrets and miracles of plants. In the introductory section the writer describes how plants form and refers to their complexity. We imagine plants to be very simple things, though they in fact possess a highly detailed and complex nature. These plants could not, of course, have appeared by chance, but emerged through the might and design of Allah, just as applies to the creation of all other living things. These books are exceedingly useful in calling people to faith and the way of Allah. With their simple and logical style they achieve an enormous success. After reading such books, the reader is left in no doubt in his heart or mind, and will inevitably abandon other material philosophies because these books demolish such materialist philosophies and ideas from their very roots. Harun Yahya and his colleagues have assumed a most important task in this field. By the will of Allah, these books will bring peace, security, justice and happiness to all mankind in the 21st century, as promised in the Holy Qur'an. At the end of all his books Harun Yahya devotes a special section to the theory of evolution. The reason for this is that the disasters inflicted on the world in the past as well as today all stem from that theory. That means that these terrible philosophies and ideas were all built on the theory. Over the course of the last 140 years Darwinism has played a major role in people's denial of the existence of Allah or else to doubt His existence. The rejection of the theory must therefore assume the form of a highly significant task for us. This valuable book can be easily read by all sections of society, and all can benefit from it. Nobody can deny the truths which it sets out.

The September 2004 edition of the high-circulation Minda mazagine carried a review of Harun Yahya's Before You Regret. Under the heading "Who Is Harun Yahya?" the article also gave a brief account of his life.

A report describing the wide interest in Islam Denounces Terrorism appeared in the news portal Venezuela's Electronic News. The report said that "the Venezuelan Muslim community is flocking to the Internet to get hold of Turkish author Harun Yahya's new book: 'Islam Denounces Terrorism'." It went on to say the following about Harun Yahya and his major work Islam Denounces Terrorism:

The new book by highly-acclaimed Muslim intellectual Harun Yahya comes at a time when there is global confusion and misunderstanding of the Islamic faith and Yahya says he needs to set the record straight about what his religion really teaches and asks its followers to truthfully proclaim.

In "Islam Denounces Terrorism", Harun Yahya accepts the challenge and already book critics around the world are saying that it is a "must read" for everyone who is looking to find the truth behind Islam's role and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States of America.

August 2001

The Pikiran Rakyat magazine carried a review of The Evolution Deceit. Published in August 2001, it stressed the importance of the book's contents.

The Ambition Monthly, directed toward young Muslims in Canada and published since 1987, carried a review of Perished Nations and Solution: The Values of the Qur'an.

In an announcement intended for its members, the Young Muslim foundation, which operates in Canada, recommended, among other books, Harun Yahya's The Evolution Deceit. The books recommended in the announcement are described as:

"A great number of people's lives have changed through the study of some of the following books."

The Islamic newspaper Crescent International has published reviews of The Truth of the Life of This World, The Miracle in the Ant, Solution: The Values of the Qur'an, and other books by Harun Yahya.

"Harun Yahya's Evolution Deceit is a scientific, intellectual and academic deathblow to the modern theory of evolution, a theory which has been largely discredited by scientific advances in the fields of physics, chemistry and genetics, among others."

""As a result of Harun Yahya's extensive research, the myth of evolution crumbles into utter ruin. ... Harun Yahya's pen is more than prolific."

Crescent International

This article by Hector Abu Dharr Manzolillo, a member of the Islamic Institute of the Americas, examined The Evolution Deceit in great detail. After investigating its effect in both Western societies and in the Muslim world, he stated that it was a major force in bringing the theory of evolution to an impasse.

"Throughout, the text is clear and readable and the marshalling and use of Qur'anic ayaat extremely effective. The book is also superbly presented, with numerous full-colour photographs, illustrations and diagrams, beautifully designed and produced on high-quality paper... This book ... is one of the few that is likely to be convincing to sceptical readers steeped in western propaganda, be they Muslim or non- Muslim."

(16-31 March 2000)

A message from a reader of Crescent International's review of the book in question: "The comment about Harun Yahya's book in your last issue was wonderful. Mr. Yahya's book is a reminder of the true nature of life. Besides, it is wery-well written and printed. They are quite attractive and convincing for young Muslims having western education. Both of my children are impressed by the book." Mona Qureshi, England (01-15 April 2000)

In its review of The Miracle in the Ant, Harun Yahya was described as the most steadfast individual revealing the baseless nature of the theory of evolution (16-30 October 2000).

In an article entitled "The Muslim Responses to Evolution," Assistant Professor Abdul Majid of Pakistan's Government Postgraduate College's Zoology Department examined Harun Yahya's works on this subject. The article, published on the Islamic Researches Institute website, states:

Harun Yahya is an eminent Turkish scholar, the author of several books on evolution and creation. ... His website http://www.harunyahya.org has an impressive range of books and it states that Harun Yahya is the pen-name of Adnan Oktar, who devoted his life explaining the existence and unity of Allah. His two important books "Evolution Deceit" and "Allah Is Known Through Reason" are basically on the refutation of Darwinism… Harun Yahya's book Evolution Deceit is in fact a scientific approach to refute and reject Darwinism.

On its www.wikipedia.com site, this Internet encyclopaedia, which contains a million or so articles and provides services in fifty languages, describes Harun Yahya and his works in these terms:

Harun Yahya is one of the leading figures in Turkish Creationism, and a fervent advocate for creationism in the creation versus evolution debate. He is considered the leading Muslim advocate of creationism.

The daily The Gulf Today reported that Harun Yahya was the best-selling author at Sharjah's World Book Fair:

Harun Yahya became the most sought-after foreign writer at the recently-concluded World Book Fair at the Expo Centre, Sharjah. He has been writing on Islamic issues for the past two decades and has authored over 200 works... Explaining the need of introducing Yahya's works in the UAE, Rashid Siddiqui of The Book Mall said the books strengthen people's faith in the tenets of Islam. "Harun Yahya's works can fairly be regarded as the opinion of Islam on various subjects. Be it Islamic teaching about terrorism or faith-related issues in nature, his works show the magnificence of Allah everywhere," he said.