Turkey’s controversial sect leader Adnan Oktar, well-known for his anti-Darwinist efforts around the world, says he will make efforts for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Palestinian militants over three years ago. Oktar also claims that peace can come to the Middle East in metaphysical ways with the return of the messiah and the mehdi
Adnan Oktar, the leader of a Muslim creationist sect in Turkey, said he would attempt to secure the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was captured by Palestinian militants over three years ago. Oktar said during a conference in Istanbul on Wednesday that he has been in contact with Gilat Shalit’s father, Noam Shalit. “[Noam Shalit] wants to come to Turkey in the following days. We will arrange the visit but the details of the visit will be kept secret for security reasons,” said Oktar. Ayoop Kara, an Israeli deputy minister, said Shalit asked him whether his son’s release could be secured through religious leaders during the same press conference. Kara said he would not have meetings with the Turkish government, adding that he believed the problems surrounding the soldier could be solved through the intervention of religious leaders rather than politicians.
Oktar said the soldier had lived with the fear of death for several years, adding that he also believes Palestinians in prisons in Israel should be released. “But they should be like angels, their hearts should be full of love when they are released,” said Oktar.
Meanwhile, Oktar said he had not contacted Hamas about the present status of the missing soldier. The religious leader and his Israeli visitors said the aim of the meeting was to contribute to peace in the Middle East, adding that three religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, share a common monotheism. Despite recent tension between Israel and Turkey over the “chair crisis,” Kara said Turkey and Israel must continue their close relations and that the mistake of any official should not change that.
Although Oktar said the goal of their meeting was to discuss peace in Middle East, he explained his solutions metaphysically. “When the messiah and the mehdi [savior foretold by the Koran] come, all the wars in the world will come to an end and Israelis will not be worried about their security.” Oktar said the messiah came to Earth in approximately 2002 or 2003 and that the world would come to an end in 2120. Another of the participants, Yeshayahu Hollander, a member of the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem, said it was hard for people who grow up in secular societies to understand the value of religion in people’s lives. According to Hollander, the solution to the conflicts is to increase religiosity in the secular countries.
When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad threatened Israel with an atomic bomb, Oktar said he sent the leader a letter saying the atomic bomb was banned in Islam. “After my letter, Ahmadinejad said also that the atomic bomb is haram, banned in Islam,” he said. He also guaranteed the Israelis that he would bring the heavens down if anyone attempted to stage a nuclear attack on Israel. In addition to Hollander, other important Israeli visitors included Rabbi Ben Abrahamson, director of the Committee for Historical Research in Islam and Judaism, Effi Lahav, senior strategic advisor to the Prime Ministry, Ameen Kablan, from the Druze community, Hurrain Dimitri, an orthodox Christian leader and Ataf Krinawi, from the Bedouin community. Although Oktar has loyal followers, he has many skeptics in Turkey, especially after he was placed in custody for 62 hours in 1991 on cocaine charges by Istanbul police. He was later released and argued the incident was a conspiracy against him.
