Adnan Oktar | |
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Born | Ankara, Turkey | 2 February 1956
Nationality | Turkish |
Other names | Adnan Hoca, Harun Yahya |
Citizenship | Turkey |
Occupations |
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Known for |
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Political party | Justice and Development Party (AK Party)[1][2][3][4] |
Criminal charges | 24 crimes including fraud and sexual abuse |
Criminal penalty | 8,658 years in prison |
Criminal status | Convicted |
Website | www |
Adnan Oktar (Turkish pronunciation: [ɑdˈnan ɔkˈtaɾ]; born 2 February 1956),[5] also known as Adnan Hoca or Harun Yahya,[6][7] is a Turkish Islamic televangelist[8] and cult leader.[9]
Between the 2000s and late 2010s, he was engaged in "a massive campaign" of proselytizing Westerners to Islam,[10] producing dozens of vividly illustrated books.[11] On 17 November 2022, he was sentenced to 8,658 years in prison for leading a criminal gang, engaging in political and military espionage, sexual abuse of minors, and other charges.[12] Prior to his arrest, Oktar established and ran two organizations: Bilim Araştırma Vakfı (BAV), which promoted creationism, and Millî Değerleri Koruma Vakfı which worked domestically on a variety of moral issues.[13]
In the West, before his arrest and trial, Oktar sent thousands of unsolicited copies of his creationist book, The Atlas of Creation,[14] to French schools and universities in January 2007,[10] and several months later to American scientists, members of Congress, science museums and schools.[15]
Oktar has advocated a version of Islam that rejects both Sunni and Shia traditions, focusing instead on a Quran-centric interpretation.[16] He has preached "the true Islam" based on the Quran on his television channel, A9 TV.[17] His organization is commonly referred to as a cult.[18] Oktar filed more than 5,000 lawsuits against individuals for defamation from 2005 to 2015,[19] which led to the blocking of a number of prominent websites in Turkey.
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