Adnan Oktar: Welcome. What was the name of this cute one?
Oktar Babuna: Asaf Ronel.
Adnan Oktar: Welcome, you honored us.
Bülent Sezgin: Mr. Oktar, our guest is the world news editor of Haaretz, one of the most popular newspapers in Israel.
Adnan Oktar: Yes. Ok, please go ahead. I’m listening.
Asaf Ronel: Okay. Can you summarize some of your interpretations of Islam and the Qur’an in general?
Adnan Oktar: I don't want anything to be added to the Qur’an. I don't want anything to be removed from the Qur’an. Whatever God says in the Qur’an, I want that to be done. I know that the Qur’an is a book of love. I know that it is a book that will bring love to the entire world. I want the entire world to know that it will explain love to the world in the best way possible.
Asaf Ronel: Can you talk about your perception of the place of women in Islam, which is quite different than what is commonly viewed by the Muslims around the world?
Adnan Oktar: Women are amazing manifestations of God. They are the most beautiful beings in the world. They are incredible works of art, created by God. They are glorious beings that should be respected, admired, loved, cherished and protected all their lives as blessings.
Asaf Ronel: I read, again, I am quoting the quotes, that you refer to women close to you as ‘kittens’. Do you think that isn’t a bit offensive, this type of terminology?
Adnan Oktar: Cats are very cute animals, and kittens are even cuter. They are incredible manifestations of God. Kittens, rabbits, doves are adorable creatures. So comparing a young girl to a kitten is a beautiful compliment to her, showing that she is just as adorable and sweet.
Asaf Ronel: So what is your position about plastic surgery for women to help to their beauty?
Adnan Oktar: Those claims about having plastic surgery are lies told by jealous people, in the hopes that they will feel better if that had been the case. Because when they look in the mirror, they think they are ugly, and when they compare themselves to the ladies here, they hurt. They say, if I had a plastic surgery, I could also look like them, and try to console themselves. They can console themselves, there is nothing wrong with that. But I know for a fact that none of my lady friends had any plastic surgery. If there was something like that, there would be hospital records of that. My lady friends are all naturally beautiful.
Asaf Ronel: Are you against it? Do you think it is wrong?
Adnan Oktar: No, I’m not against it. If anyone wants to, they can have plastic surgery, but if there is a threat to life because of surgery, they shouldn’t do it. It wouldn't be worth the risk.
Asaf Ronel: Next subject; it has been claimed that you consider yourself or you present yourself as the Messiah, Mahdi. Can you answer those accusations? It was claimed in different publications that you felt yourself, that you consider yourself, you talk about yourself as the Mahdi. Can you answer those allegations?
Adnan Oktar: I said maybe a hundred times that I didn't make a claim like that, that I would never claim anything like that. I swore in the name of God that I would never make a claim like that. This is a contrived effort. I am an ordinary person.
Asaf Ronel: Can you talk about your attitude towards Judaism?
Adnan Oktar: I love Jews very much. I love them very much because they have been loyal to Prophets Moses, Abraham, Israel (pbut). They are pious, they love God very much. I consider them Muslims, because they don't say Prophet Mohammed (saas) lied. They consider Muslims as Muslims [believers].
Asaf Ronel: What do you think about the view of Jews praying on Al Aqsa, in the Temple Mount?
Adnan Oktar: Christians, Jews, Muslims, everyone can worship there. It is a place of worship.
Asaf Ronel: But most Muslims today at least object to that. Why is your position so different than the average Muslim today around the world?
Adnan Oktar: What they do is irrational. If they [Jews, Christians] go there for God, to worship God, they [Muslims] should be happy about it, should be proud of it. The land there is sufficient for this. We will build the Prayer House of Prophet Solomon there, and in this century, insha’ Allah.
Asaf Ronel: In this century?
Adnan Oktar: Yes, yes.
Asaf Ronel: In the past, books were published under your name, with the headlines the Holocaust Deception, Judaism and Freemasonry that were seen as anti-Semitic materials. Are you responsible for those publications? What do you think about them? Do you repent? Do you think it was wrong to publish that?
Adnan Oktar: I explained many times before that I didn't publish such books. All my books are registered. I am not responsible for books published using my name or pseudo name. I have registry records for all the books I actually published. I always defended the Jews. I am the person that protects the Jews the best in Turkey. I am the one that most powerfully stands against anti-Semitism in Turkey. Everyone knows that. I have been threatened many times by illegal organizations because of my support for the Jews. Countless threats. Not once, or twice, countless times. Despite that, I never even imagined stopping my support for the Jews. I will continue to defend their rights. It is an honor for me.
Asaf Ronel: So who published those books? Do you know?
Adnan Oktar: A friend of ours, called Nuri.
Asaf Ronel: Why did he do it?
Adnan Oktar: Because during those times, Jews were like that. The entire Turkey entertained thoughts like that. They thought that Jews would put people in boxes, make them bleed, and use that blood to make bread and then eat that bread. In other words, Jews were portrayed as extremely savage, brutal people. He might be affected by that rhetoric. Everyone believed that. Jews were shown like a brutal people that were created to oppress, that should be killed wherever they were spotted. But I showed everyone that it was not true.
Asaf Ronel: Do you have Israeli friends? Can you talk about them? Who they are, what are your connections?
Adnan Oktar: I have lots of good friends there. Many. Especially among the religious people, and Rabbis, I have many good friends. I love all of them very much. And I always defend them, and support them. I fear no one but God and no one can stop me from supporting them.
Asaf Ronel: And what about the Jewish community in Turkey? Do you talk to them also?
Adnan Oktar: I don't know many of them. But I am very close friends with truly religious Jews in Israel. I love them very much because they are truly religious.
Asaf Ronel: We’ve read the reports that your TV channel is fined by the Turkish authorities. Do you feel there is going to be pressure from the authorities against you and your friends and followers?
Adnan Oktar: Of course, my support for Jewish people created a backlash in certain circles in Turkey. Everyone can clearly see the current backlash and pressure. Media talks about this a lot. But I couldn't care less. I know that the TV board (RTUK) is also under a lot of pressure. I know that there is a lot of pressure from those certain circles.
Actually, the penalty for our TV channel is very little compared to other TV channels. Other TV channels are punished thousand times more, but the media never covers that. When RTUK fines us, which is a very rare incident, they turn it into a huge thing. This is happening because certain circles, the sleeper cells of FETO, PKK, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Taliban, which are all pawns of the British deep state, are activated to attack us. But we never care about these things at all, and I don't care about them.
Adnan Oktar: In the past, Jews were portrayed in a very bad light in Turkey. There were shown like blood-sucking, crazy structure that wanted to rule the world. I had to explain for years that it was not true and eventually managed to convince people. This is largely the reason behind the current backlash.
Asaf Ronel: I read that you had a previous run in with the law authorities. Can you describe your point of view, you were convicted, spent time in jail, can you describe your position as to what happened?
Adnan Oktar: Yes, I was jailed twice. I served nine months each time. But in the end, I was cleared of all charges. The court verified that I was completely innocent. I have no criminal record at all, not even a traffic ticket at the moment. I was cleared of all charges against me. I was sued 28 times and charged with leading a criminal organization, but I was cleared of all those charges.
Asaf Ronel: Yet, you have been accused, I’ve met with a few people who claimed they were part of your group in the past, they said they stayed but now they say you used them, you imprisoned them, you did not allow them to leave, that the women are under constant supervision, that they are being recorded in intimate situations, and then those recordings are used against them. How do you respond to those accusations?
Adnan Oktar: Those people stayed with us maybe 20 years. But in the end they understood that they wouldn't be able gain any financial gain from us, and then began to tell these lies. If what they said was true, why did they stay with us for 20 years?
If even a small part of what they said was true, they wouldn't stay with us even for 20 minutes. But they stayed here for 20 years, praised me, told everyone about how much they loved me, told them that I was great, and was a good person. This shows that none of those stories are true. The truth is, when they couldn't get any money, any material gains, they started using their imagination to slander us, hoping that this way they might gain something material. No one will pay any attention to them, because how will they respond if they are asked, “why did you stay with them for 20 years then?” If what they said was true, they wouldn't stay here even for 20 minutes. It is obvious that they are lying.
Asaf Ronel: So are there recordings of your followers in situation having sex?
Adnan Oktar: If there is anything like that, why don't they present it to the legal authorities? These are inconsistent, illogical claims. They have been making these claims for the past 20, 25 years, and we never saw a record like that. Police searched also, they searched even underneath the wood floorings, removed the walls, turned everything upside down, but they never found a tape like that. In other words, it was all a lie.
Asaf Ronel: Can you explain a bit more about what you mean by the British deep state?
Adnan Oktar: There is a deep state structure in England. It consists of some 300 people, led by an old man. He is the man that Pope was referring as ‘he cannot be defeated’. The entire media heard Pope talk about him in detail recently. Now this very British deep state has launched a campaign against us.
Asaf Ronel: Why are they targeting you?
Adnan Oktar: Because it is I, who intellectually crush the British deep state. This book you see [Mastermind: The Truth of the British Deep State Revealed]; it has several volumes and they are very thick books, as you can see. They couldn't handle this.
Asaf Ronel: Can you tell me a little bit about the people around you? How many people are there? What is your relation with them? What is your impact?
Adnan Oktar: I have close to 150 ladies and 150 men in my group of friends. So it is close to 300.
Asaf Ronel: Will you prevail? Will you survive the attack?
Adnan Oktar: As you can see, I’m like steel, stronger than ever.
Asaf Ronel: Last question. Can you give me a vision of the future? What do you think future will be like?
Adnan Oktar: Moshiach, Mahdi will come, you will see that. We will build the Prayer House of Solomon in Jerusalem. Islamic moral values will reign in the world. Jews will worship freely, Christians will worship freely, Muslims will worship freely. There will be no more wars, no more terror. You will see that. Insha’Allah.
Asaf Ronel: When?
Adnan Oktar: In a maximum of 10 years. I’m here.
Asaf Ronel: I will be waiting. Thank you very much.
Adnan Oktar: Thank you.
