FOR years, Adnan Oktar’s cult made outrageous claims about Islam. Newspapers indulged him as a crackpot, a deviant “Islamic” preacher surrounded by a harem of women in heavy make-up and swimsuits. (Oktar argued the bikini was a form of religious covering.) Few people took him seriously. The authorities mostly seemed to ignore him.
In the 1980s-90s, his work under the pen name of ‘Harun Yahya’ was much appreciated by the Muslim world. He wrote and produced works on Allah’s amazing creation. Then he started deviating.
Last month a Turkish court sentenced him to over 1,000 years in jail for fraud, torture and sexual abuse. Oktar convinced his followers he was the messiah and enslaved them. May Allah guide us all and protect us from deviance.
Dr. Bilal Philips