Harun Yahya Responds to Interview Questions

Preface

Previously, I posted interview questions for Harun Yahya. He sent me the responses that can be found below after this short introduction. Overall, he provided substantive answers to the issues I raised. After reading through his answers, I believe Harun Yahya does not distinguish the Modern Theory of Evolution from Darwinism, and I wish he had addressed the Armenian question in more detail.

Because I live near Watertown, MA with its large Armenian population and because, I have occasionally had to argue with Harvard Professor James Russell about the subject, the Armenian and Balkan genocides hardly seem like events of the distant past, and discussing them may provide some useful insights that could be applied to conflicts like the Darfur Civil Wars.

Because the organized Jewish community and Israel advocates use the Holocaust as a hammer to bash pro-Palestinian advocates, there is probably a need for Muslims to develop a justice-oriented genocide discourse to compete with the tendentious, self-serving, and propagandistic Zionist Holocaust narrative, which has itself evolved into a quasi-religion with its own rituals and pseudo-spirituality.

The Holocaust cult and Zionism itself, which in some formulations like that of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook combines genuine religious faith with a dangerous form of ethnic fundamentalism or monism, push the limits of false religion.

Even though Harun Yahya is magnanimous and tries to discern an innocent Zionism, this political ideology in all its formulations -- whether atheistic or not -- is extremely dangerous, for it presumes that the historical or national rights of Jews are superior to the human or democratic rights of non-Jews. It is hard to be more racist.

Harun Yahya Responds to Interview questions

1. Is the criticism of Darwinism meant to refer specifically to:

• Darwin's theory as presented in The Origin of the Species,
• Social Darwinism, which is an inappropriate application of Darwin's ideas to social outcomes,
• the modern theory of evolution or the field of evolutionary biology, which includes among other subjects microevolution and macroevolution,
• Evolutionary Psychology, which attempts to explain mental and psychological traitssuch as memory, perception, or languageas adaptations, that is, as the functional products of natural selection or sexual selection, or
• any evolutionary ideas applied to humans and to human society?

Harun Yahya

Darwinism is an ideology that has collapsed right from the outset. That is because, one, it is unable to account for how the first cell emerged. Second, there is not one single fossil to act as evidence for the claim that living species descended from a common ancestor by undergoing gradual changes. That being the case there is no value to anything Darwinists espouse or say in psychology, biology or social field. There is no need to talk about and discuss each one separately either. Still, if we do have to discuss each field of science separately, then the scientific facts invalidate Darwinism in each and every one. Darwinism has been routed in all the fields you have listed. Darwin’s book The Origin of Species is full of errors and ignorant claims made under the primitive circumstances of the world of science of the time. The main idea proposed in the book, that inorganic substances organized themselves through certain chance developments, that the first cell then appeared by chance and that as a result all of life came into being by chance evolution from that first cell, is the worst error, and also the most irrational claim, in the history of science. Chance is blind and unconscious and cannot hit the mark in any way whatsoever. Stone, earth and mud cannot combine together to form rational and conscious human beings that love, rejoice, research, make discoveries and found civilizations. They cannot produce even a single cell or a single protein, let alone a human being. In fact, Darwin himself admitted the illogicality of and insoluble dilemmas facing his theory. The chapter 'Difficulties on Theory' is full of admissions by Darwin concerning the non-functionality of his theory. For example, he asks 'Why, if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms? Why is not all nature in confusion instead of the species being, as we see them, well defined? … But, as by this theory innumerable transitional forms must have existed, why do we not find them embedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth? …! You don’t find any because there are none. They have been digging the earth up for 150 years, but not a single transitional fossil has ever been found. On the other hand, more than 100 million fossils have been found, but these all, without exception, prove that evolution never happened. If Darwin and his followers cannot produce a single transitional fossil to show how evolution took place, then what they say is worthless.

The most important example of the terrible disasters that can take place when Darwin’s lies are adapted to social relations are the wars, conflicts, concentration camps, colonialist exploitation and acts of terror throughout the 20^th century. One of Darwinism’s fundamental claims is that the development of living things depends on the struggle for survival in nature, that the strong win that struggle, and that the weak are defeated and eliminated. It is not hard to guess the consequences of trying to apply such a sick idea to social life. The 20^th century was the darkest, most bloodthirsty, violent and terrifying century in the history of mankind. Some people are reluctant to admit that Darwinism was the real intellectual force that led to the upheavals, disorder, wars and conflicts of the 20^th century and to hatred and enmity between people, but the true intellectual cause of all this was the social Darwinism launched in the 19^th century. Social Darwinism immediately bestowed a 'supposed' scientific legitimacy on existing evils and ruthless policies and practices. Following this movement, based on no scientific foundation whatsoever, many people who did not abide by religious moral values began regarding ruthlessness, savagery and oppression as perfectly ordinary. Virtues among people and societies required by religious moral values, such as compassion, affection, understanding, self-sacrifice, mutual aid and solidarity, were ignored. All terrorists and anarchists, including those alive today, all subscribe to Darwinism as their basic belief. Mao, for instance, openly says that Chinese communism is based on Darwin and his theory of evolution. Those are Mao’s words. And we all know what he did.

2. Is God incapable of creating a world in which the Theory of Modern Evolution is a valid approximate description of the means by which biological diversity originates?

(Allah is surely beyond the implication in this question. Allah is unfettered by any flaw or deficiency.)

Of course Allah could have created the whole universe through evolution had He so willed. But in that case we would see the evidence of that on earth, and Allah would have revealed it in the Qur’an. Then we would say, 'Our Lord created by way of evolution.' But there is nothing like that. There is no such information or suggestion in the Qur’an. And there is not a single piece of evidence for evolution on earth. But there are millions of proofs that Allah creates living things by commanding them to 'Be!' The truth revealed by all living things and all fossils extracted from under the ground is that everything was created. The glorious proofs of Creation in living things, the millions of fossils produced from below the ground have proved many millions of times over that evolution never happened. But there is not one finding or piece of scientific evidence to show that species formed gradually, in stages, as evolutionists claim.

In addition, in the same way that the djinn and angels were not created through evolution, neither were human beings. Neither can the return of the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) in the End Times be explained in terms of evolution. The resurrection on the Day of Judgment, the gardens and mansions of Paradise cannot be explained in terms of evolution, either. Another example is how, through the will of Allah, the Prophet Moses’ (pbuh) staff suddenly turned into a snake when he cast it down on the ground. That was a regular, living snake, a snake with a digestive system. But it did not happen through evolution. When the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) breathed into a piece of clay in the shape of a bird it actually turned into a living one, as a blessing from Allah. A flying, egg-laying, reproducing bird. It did not happen through evolution either. If that had happened by way of evolution then we would openly admit that 'Allah created through evolution.' But there is no evidence for evolution. But there is Allah’s creation by commanding things to 'Be!'

3. Is the Justice and Development Party (AKP) (Turkish: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi or AK Parti, or AKP) attempting

• to restore Ottomanism,
• to create a Salafist Islamic State from first principles,
• to build a modern Turkish state in which Islam plays a role comparable to that of Christianity in Europe and N. America or
• to establish some other sort of system?

As far as I can tell, the AKP is doing all it can to establish a climate of freedom, democracy and peace, and is trying to lead Turkey in the direction of a bright future. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is very sincere, well-intentioned and honest. He is an immaculate Anatolian. He has no worldly desires or self-interest. He strives for the approval of Allah, from what I can see. I believe the AKP consists of innocent, immaculate people. They are genuinely working toward a good, modern, bright and prosperous future for Turkey. The AKP is pleased to be intellectual and contemporary, and is doing all in its power to achieve this. It may not be perfect, but that is clearly its aim. How else can one explain its desire to join the European Union? It means it wants Europe’s art, science and technology. Major steps are being taken in the direction of establishing the Turkish-Islamic Union and I think these developments will gather pace still further in the future by Allah’s permission. Turkey will be a great state, bestowing beauty on the whole world, it will treat everyone with tolerance and warmth, maintain justice and preserve all balances.

4. Does the continuing Turkish-Israel military alliance make any sense on any basis?

Turkey has always protected, defended and supported genuine, devout Jews. In Ottoman times it was the Turks who settled them on their own lands and allowed them to live under the most agreeable circumstances. Jews are generally good, pleasant people, who render good service and create wealth wherever they go. Left to themselves they are completely innocent. I like the Jews very much. They are descended from the prophets, from the Prophet Abraham (pbuh). We lived alongside them in love and friendship for centuries. They must now be able to live as they choose in Israel, the lands of their forefathers, to trade as they wish and to fervently remember Allah in their places of worship. But we need to distinguish between Judaism and atheist Zionism. For example, it is atheist-Zionist ideology that is largely responsible for the conflict, war, tears and bloodshed that has been going on incessantly for years in Palestine. Devout Jews are also under enormous pressure from that mindset. It is also oppressing them. I mean, it is not only Muslims who are suffering. Devout Christians are also under pressure in Israel. Yet for some reason atheist Zionism is not recognized for what it is in the West, and the true plans of this irreligious ideology are unknown. Zionism is an innocent ideology that seeks a homeland for the Jews. Whereas atheist Zionism is a racist and irreligious ideology that aims at secret world domination and threatens world peace, Muslims also support Zionism, which wants the devout Jewish people to live in peace with Muslims in Israel, that seeks security for them and wants them to worship, trade and maintain their existence on their grandfathers’ lands. Indeed, we can rejoice in devout Jews living in peace and security in their own holy lands, remembering Allah and worshiping in their synagogues and engaging in trade. But it is obvious that there needs to be an intellectual struggle using all the means at our disposal against an ideology that has inflicted suffering on people down the generations through oppression, injustice and bloodshed.

Turkey is the strongest military power in the region. It is also one of the region’s strongest economies. Turkey is also the only country that looks objectively at the Middle East question, that has no qualms about speaking about the errors it sees in both sides’ attitudes, and that has gained the trust of the entire region with its honesty, affection and neutrality. And Turkey is now a more powerful and influential actor in Middle East policies than ever before. It is a good thing for the two countries to enjoy economic and cultural relations. Of course economic, cultural, technological and scientific relations between Turkey and Israel must develop on their own unique, stable platform.

5. Will Turks be able to engage in a rational discussion about genocide before Americans and other Westerners show even-handedness through some sort of acknowledgment of the genocide and ethnic cleansing

• of Balkan Muslim populations as the Ottoman Empire retreated and
• of Caucasian Muslims as the Russian Empire expanded?

(Note that Harvard University has occasionally exhibited early 20th century anti-Muslim Balkan postcards celebrating the ethnic cleansing or genocide of local Muslim populations.)

Debates about genocide are of no benefit to world peace. On the contrary, they harm it. I do not therefore find such discussions appropriate. It is not right for events that happened years ago to be used for mutual reckoning of accounts. These things happened years ago and are over and done with. What use is counting bones to anyone? How can we talk about peace and love today if we set about talking about 1915?

There was a war on. Everyone suffered. Look, there is no end to the Turkish graves. We know about the massacre at Khodjali in Azerbaijan. But we wish everyone the best. We harbor no feelings of vengeance. Nobody must have any feelings of hatred and revenge toward anyone else. We do not seek revenge. Nor do we want compensation. We just want to be friends and brothers. These things are history, over and done with. What need is there to investigate things that happened a century ago? That generation has vanished. We now have a young population. They are our brothers. To keep talking about the past will slow our love, friendship and brotherhood down. There is no need for these things. We will embrace our Armenian brothers and ensure they are wealthy and at peace. We will ensure they live in comfort and happiness. That is what befits enlightened people in the 21^st century. Calculating the bill from the past will produce nothing but strife and confusion. We must not fall into that trap. Let us set this aside. We are living in an age of love. The world needs peace, friendship and brotherhood. We must not support any move that might hinder the strengthening of friendships.

6. Is the papal position that accepts modern biological evolution and reserves divine creation to the soul really inherently at odds with Quranic revelation?

One may encounter intolerant and even aggressive behavior in the Christian world from time to time, among people holding different beliefs. But if we sincere believers treat one another with love, then all the initiatives taken by people with such mindsets will fail, insha’Allah.

As for the papacy’s view regarding Darwin’s theory of evolution, that is of course really astonishing. Because Darwinism is incompatible in any way with belief in Allah and Christianity, if the statements by the Vatican and the Pope in support of Darwinism are genuine, then it would appear that the Papacy is under pressure from freemasons and atheist Zionists. And if there really is such pressure and if the Pope is really being prevented from espousing the truth, then that is a truly dreadful state of affairs. But the Vatican is perfectly well aware that the great intellectual struggle against Darwinism over the last 30 years has exposed all that ideology’s frauds and Darwinism has taken its place as the worst error in history. European materialists and Darwinists are acting out of the shock of that huge defeat and imagine that they can resurrect Darwinism by making the Vatican issue statements in support of Darwinism. But the fact is that Darwinism is dead and nothing can bring it back to life. At a time when it has been fully realized that it is impossible for even a single protein to form by chance, that all the fossils described as transitional forms to date have turned out to be either hoaxes or else to belong to extinct life forms, and when creation has been proved by more than 100 million fossils all proving that evolution never happened, this means the Darwinist global mafia has come to an end. What Darwinists and materialists need to do is to bury Darwinism and apologize to the peoples of the world for the dictatorial regime they have imposed on it over the last 150 years.

7. Where does language come from? Is it the result of external (i.e., divine) intervention? Does opposition to generic Darwinism require rejection of evolution in all situations? Does the existence of human language support the papal position on evolution?

Darwinists seek to deceive people with the myth of 'the evolution of history'. But they encounter major difficulties. One of these is the question of how language first emerged. Speech is a characteristic that distinguishes humans from other living things. Thanks to language, human beings are able to shape their thoughts and produce meaningful statements. People speak unaware of the fact that all this takes place with highly specialized muscle movements and word sequences. As we speak, some 100 muscles all expand and contract in harmony, resulting in sounds, syllables and words, and in meaningful sentences by placing subjects, verbs and objects in an appropriate order. The fact that we do no more than 'desire to speak' in order to make use of an ability based on such highly complex stages clearly shows that speech is not a characteristic limited to biological structures. Human speech is a complex ability that cannot be explained in terms of the fictitious requirements or mechanisms of the theory of evolution. David Premack of the University of Pennsylvania summarized the position by saying 'human speech is an embarrassment for the theory of evolution,' The well-known linguist Derek Bickerton says: 'Could language have come directly out of some prehuman trait? No. Does it resemble forms of animal communication? No. . . . no ape, despite intensive training, has yet acquired even the rudiments of syntax… how words emerged, how syntax emerged. But these problems lie at the heart of language evolution.'

All the languages in the world are complex. Evolutionists are well aware that this complexity cannot be acquired gradually. Indeed, no transitional stage in the evolution of language has ever been observed. The origin of the ability to speak is obvious to anyone not caught up and led astray by evolutionist preconceptions. Allah inspires human beings to speak and causes them to do so. It is Almighty Allah Who bestows this ability. In the same way that evolutionists are unable to account for the biological structures on which speech depends, so they are unable to account for the consciousness that makes language possible. Human consciousness and the complexity in language, which cannot ever be reduced to matter, shows that a sublime mind created language, that of our Lord, Almighty Allah.

8. Is the Arabic of the Qur’an not created? If the Quran that is not created lies outside of this space-time continuum, which is created, when it refers to events in the Arabic of this continuum, must such events not have taken place in this space and time?

Because of the way things are suggested to them, human beings imagine that time is divided into separate sections along the lines of past, present and future. But the only reason we possess the concept of 'the past' is that certain events are given to our memories. For example, our first day at primary school is something present in our memories, which is why we perceive it as a past event. We have no memory of events in the future. We therefore regard these events of which we are as yet unaware as 'yet to take place' or 'due to happen in the future.' The fact is, however, that events that for us have taken place in the past and the future have all happened in the same way. But because some are not in our memories we are as yet unaware of them. Everything, past, present or future are parts of a destiny ordained, by Allah’s leave and with His knowledge, before the world was even created. People can only learn the events in their lives when they experience them. But Allah knows all events before they are experienced by us, for Allah, past, present and future are one and the same.

A period of time lasting billions of years for us is but a 'single moment' in the sight of Allah. For us, the future is something that has yet to happen. For Allah, it is already over and done with. We watch the future as we experience it. But something we have to wait to see already exists in the sight of Allah. All the events we say will happen in the future have already taken place in the dimension of eternity. Everything is already over and done within the sight of Allah, from the creation of the universe to its end. The main reason why some people are unable to comprehend the fact of destiny as they should is that they are unaware of all this. But 'things that have happened' are just things that have happened in our perceptual world. Allah, on the other hand, is unfettered by time and space. It is He Who created time and space from nothing. Allah has created the whole history of the world in a single 'moment.' For example, the day of the Prophet Moses’ (as) birth and all his conversations with Pharaoh were already determined in the sight of Allah. It was also ordained in the sight of Allah that when the Torah and the New Testament were sent down they would one day be corrupted. The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was also ready in the sight of Allah before he entered this world.

Human beings witness the destiny preordained for them throughout their lives. Every moment of people’s lives, everything they have already experienced and that they will experience after today are already in existence and have already taken place in the sight of Allah. Billions’ of people’s lives, every detail of the destinies of the planets, plants and other objects all exist and remain without ever decreasing or disappearing in the infinite ‘memory’ of Allah. Allah’s title of Hafidh (the Preserver, the Protector), is one of the manifestations of His infinite might and power.

9. Is it legitimate from an Islamic standpoint to view Islam as the culmination of the evolution of Jesus' message of piety toward God and righteousness toward one's fellow man through an intermediate stage of Jamesian Christian Judaism?

Judaism and Christianity are both true faiths (although they were subsequently distorted after the time of the prophets who preached them). Although both faiths contain different rules, depending on the climate and conditions of the time when they were revealed, they both share the same essential beliefs and moral values. In these two faiths, and Islam that was sent down after them, our Lord reveals the existence, oneness and titles of Allah, the purpose behind the creation of human beings and all other entities, how Allah is to be served, the behavior and lifestyle most pleasing to Him, the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, how people must manage their lives in this world, what they must do to attain eternal life and other such vital issues. Looked at in these terms, there is but one true faith in the sight of Allah. Islam or 'submission to Allah' is the basis of all the true faiths that have been sent down to mankind since the time of the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). Although the true faiths ascribed to prophets sent down later are known by such names as Judaism or Christianity, the faith revealed by all these prophets is in fact the same, Islam. And all prophets are 'Muslims.'

As in all matters, evolutionists are mistaken in their claims about society and history, and therefore about the so-called evolution of religion. Evolutionists who espouse the idea of the evolution of religion maintain that in ancient times people believed in supposedly 'primitive,' in other words polytheistic and tribal, religions, and that the true faith based on the principle of belief in Allah alone and addressing all of mankind emerged subsequent to those. The fact is, however, that the true faith is the one that has been revealed to mankind by Allah ever since the time of the Prophet Adam (pbuh). And at all times there have been true believers, hypocrites, pagans and impious people. That is the fact demonstrated by archeological and historical findings. However, as I have said earlier, superstitious and heretical beliefs have co-existed alongside the true faith in all periods. Today as well, there are people who believe in Allah, the One and Only, and others who fall into the error of worshiping idols made of stone or wood, various spirits, Satan, various animals, their ancestors, the Sun, the Moon or the stars. In addition, a significant part of these are people who live under highly developed conditions rather than backward ones. To put it another way, no such process as 'the evolution of religions,' that some people posit, in fact ever took place. But heretical religions emerged with the corruption of the true faith at various times. In short, there is no foundation to the idea of 'the evolution of religions,' and it is based merely on deficient logic. No archeological findings to support this claim, launched by materialists in the 19^th century, have ever been found, and the claims have remained no more than speculation.

10. Is it legitimate to read early Sunni and Shiite Islamic history as a parable teaching the Muslim community that it must evolve beyond dependence on charismatic political and hereditary leaders into a devout nation, whose members can independently keep their own relationship with God in proper spiritual order?

Shiites and Sunnis are both Muslims possessed of taqwa (respect and fear of Allah), who love Allah and seek His approval, who are devout and pleasant natured. They are each other’s brothers. It is of course a good thing for there to be two main sects, Shiite and Sunni, rather than a cause for separatism. There is nothing wrong in that. We look back at certain events that happened in the past, but it is Allah Who appreciates and knows the truth of them. All believers, Shiite and Sunni, are dwellers in Paradise. They are brothers in Paradise. Of course, in Islamic belief every servant beseeches, prays to and begs forgiveness from Allah directly. They seek ways to be the closest to Him. They strive to strengthen their faith and enhance their trust in Him. There is no intermediary for that purpose in Islam, although Allah tells people of His faith through His books and messengers. The messengers warn people of the Day of Judgment and the eternal torment of Hell, as well as telling them the glad tidings of the eternal life of Paradise. It is Allah, Who creates human beings, Who best knows the order and conditions best suited to them. For that reason, He enables His servants to live the kind of lives and by the moral values He asks from them in the best way in this world, and also permits them to attain the Hereafter. In short, religious moral values are a system sent down as a manifestation of Allah’s mercy in order for people to attain the ideal structure in both social and individual terms.

Allah’s chosen messengers are natural leaders. Allah has appointed them in destiny and given them the attribute and duty of being guides to salvation. There have been devout believers and great scholars who greatly fear and love Allah, leaders who lead others to the truth. Shiite and Sunni scholars have represented excellent role models with their fear and love of and devotion to Allah.

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