Mr. Adnan Oktar's live conversation with British journalist Yvonne Ridley on A9 TV (14 February 2012)

Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar's Live Interview on A9 TV dated February 14th, 2012


Adnan Oktar: Ms. Yvonne Ridley is currently my guest. Do you have brief presentation regarding Ms.Ridley?
Ms. Aylin: She is a journalist. She went to Afghanistan where the Taliban took her prisoner. And after being released she became a Muslim.
Adnan Oktar: So she had been to Afghanistan as a freelance journalist.
Ms. Aylin: Yes, she is an English journalist.
Adnan Oktar: So she had been to Afghanistan as an English freelance journalist. She is  so sweet. What  business did she have in Afghanistan?
Ms. Aylin: She used to work as a war correspondent.
Adnan Oktar: It is really strange of them to send a woman for that task. So she was captured by the Taliban?
Ms. Aylin: She had been kept there for six months if I am not mistaken. And later on after being released she had become a Muslim.  
Adnan Oktar: She is a very lovely lady. She has such beautiful eyes and she looks very sweetly. Insha'Allah. We have spoken briefly upstairs. She is truly distressed by all the sufferings of Muslims everywhere, masha'Allah. She is really very protective masha'Allah.  She says that secularists are in a fierce attack in Great Britain giving Muslims no peace and truly inflicting suffering on them.
Yet the Jews are even more oppressed. A Jewish man wrote to me and said that people are spitting in his face wherever they see him. People attacked his children. They tried to cut one child's ear off. The British have become unbelievably aggressive. He says they give them no room to breathe. They tried to kick his front door in. He said that he was unable to stay there any longer and fled to France. They give Muslims a very hard time, too. But Muslims and Jews are also in conflict . Christians fight Muslims and Muslims fight Christians. And those people try to oppress them all in the meantime. Yet if Muslims, Jews and Christians were allied, the matter would completely be resolved and nobody would be able to hurt anyone. They would all be in comfort and the moral values of Islam would widespread to the whole world. But narrow thinking people, people with narrow minds, acting like cheap heroes cause both Muslims to be oppressed and the People of the Book as well. And they regard that as jihad.
That is why one should be unifying among people. In England, for instance, Muslims are always at one another's throats. Congregations are divided among themselves, there is competition in between them and so they refuse to go to each other's  mosques. They do not look one another in the eye. They do not greet one another, and they all have their separate ideas and ways of thinking. The majority, that is. Of course there are good ones among them as well. I told her that we should work together and find a way for that together, and she agreed, insha'Allah. Yvonne had been here before. She came to our house, didn't she?
Ms. Didem: Yes she did Master. And she said that when she first became a Muslim and read the Qur'an for the first time, she saw the Qur'an had not been changed at all and the value attached to women in the Qur'an, she had been very much impressed.  
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah. She is really very sweet with her exceptionally lovely eyes.
Ms. Didem: Yes , Masha'Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Welcome. Selamun aleykum
Yvonne Ridley: Wa Alaikum salam.
Adnan Oktar: wa Rahmetullah wa Berekatuhu. How are you?
Yvonne Ridley: Fine, Alhamdulillah.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah, masha'Allah. Ahlan wa sahlan. I said in Arabic, but it didn't really work. Let us say something else. Let us say it in English. We are honored by your presence.
Yvonne Ridley: It's a great pleasure to be here, really.
Adnan Oktar: Yes, masha'Allah. You bring good news with you. We hear great things from you, but Muslims in England seems to be rather fragmented. You have described that a bit while we were talking upstairs. It is a religious obligation for Muslims to be in unity and collaboration. That is an explicit verse from the Qur'an. What do you say about this matter?
Yvonne Ridley: It's really a tragedy because of course, we all believe in the One God, we all have only one Qur'an, we believe in the Five Pillars of Islam, that is what defines us as Muslims, and so what is there to be disunited about; it is very sad, because especially in the current climate, Muslims need to come together. You've written a book about it, that we need to be united. And as a united ummah, we would be a real, powerful force; one in five Muslims – sorry, one in five people in the world are Muslims. So, that's a great amount of people; a fifth of the planet.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah. Masha'Allah. Yes, I am listening to you.
Yvonne Ridley: Well, I know that quite a few people from the organization have been to Britain with a message of unity, and I hope it is something that Muslims take on board. What really has me alarmed, not just in Britain but in the wider world, is the growth of sectarianism. And that is a very destructive force, and again, Muslims should ignore these siren calls and again focus on what unites us, not on what divides us.
Adnan Oktar: So how can Muslims come together? Has our Prophet (saas) shown us the path on that matter? Has he told us how the Muslims would be united in the End Times? Or have we been left to fend for ourselves? What is your opinion on this?
Yvonne Ridley: He would be in despair now if he could see the state of parts of the ummah. And Allah gave us the gift of Islam; it's the easiest religion to follow, it is a way of life and it's not complicated, it is so easy, a child can understand; yet it is intellectual that it will keep scholars occupied in debate for hours. But, we only pray in one direction, we only pray to One God, and we have only one Holy Qur'an; so why are we not together and unified and speaking in one voice?
Adnan Oktar: All Muslims will be united in 5-10 years' time. I can give you that good news.
Yvonne Ridley: Alhamdulillah, and I look forward to that, because the Muslim world is going through an upheaval at the moment, we have brothers and sisters who are at war with each other. And then we have other areas of the Middle East that have been transformed, and it shows you what happens when people, when brothers and sisters can come together. We've seen it in Tunisia, and insha'Allah, in Egypt and it's a very exciting period, a great decade to be a Muslim, I feel.
Adnan Oktar: Will the Mahdi come?
Yvonne Ridley: Insha'Allah. You say that in ten years time, there will be unity, and I'm looking forward to that day, because then we will see the full power, and the full strength, and the full joy of belonging to one united family, insha'Allah.   
Adnan Oktar: Shiism, Wahhabism, Sunnism will all disappear. It will be an age like that of the Companions.
Yvonne Ridley: Well, that is exactly right. I embraced Islam only a few years ago, and some people will say, "Are you Sunni? Are you Sufi, are you Shia; what sort of Muslim are you?" And I say, "I am following in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him", and I don't believe he promoted or belonged to any sect; he was a Muslim, and that is what I am, a Muslim without a sect or a group; I don't need that sort of identity. I am a Muslim pure and simple, insha'Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah. She is very radiant and delightful, masha'Allah. Really nice, masha'Allah. Of course, because we are ignorant at the moment, we are following a sect. I mean, we are obliged to follow a sect. But we do so because we are obliged to do so, rather than willingly. But the ideal, the correct thing to do is to be like the time of the Companions. A true Muslim would be like that. They will obey the Qur'an. They will live in the same way as the Companions. That is what you also desire as far as I see, insha'Allah. You will see the Mahdi, insha'Allah, and Jesus the Messiah. This is a very good time. We are in a very good time.
Yvonne Ridley: Insha'Allah, and I do share your optimism for the future, and I hope, when I said before that I'm a Muslim pure and simple, you know, that is me; that isn't to say that people who follow one route or another, as long as they stick to the five principles that define us as Muslims, which are the Five Pillars of Islam, I think that, again, if we focus on what unites us rather than what divides us the majority of Muslims have the same ideology, just a different methodology. We all get there in the end, insha'Allah.
Adnan Oktar:. Masha'Allah, you will see very happy days. Allah had blessed you with the right path in such a time, masha'Allah. You are striving for Islam and the Qur'an with all your might, what a great honor this is. All Muslims love you very much. The Muslims in Turkey love you, everyone loves you but I am the one that loves you the most.
Yvonne Ridley: Thank you; jazakh Allahu khairan [May Allah reward you for the good]. And I'm a big fan of Turkey, it is a great country, and I think that the next decade will also be a very interesting one for Turkey; she's already emerging as a regional power and the West is looking toward Turkey for advice and I think that Turkey is going to play a very pivotal role in the changing landscape of the Muslim world.
Adnan Oktar: That is because Allah has assigned her. Turkey is the place where the Mahdi will appear, furthermore Istanbul. Our Prophet (saas) says that quite explicitly. He has listed the portents. Furthermore there are some details; he speaks of Harista. Right? He says the Harista district of Damascus will be obliterated. Our Prophet (saas) says that war will break out there. This is one of the portents of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Newspaper reports about the destruction of the Harista district in Syria appeared in the papers the other day. This is one of the portents of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Our Prophet (saas) looked and foresaw all the events to come, he saw all of them. He foresaw the comet, the attack on the Kaaba, eclipses of the Sun and Moon at 15-day intervals, the Keban Dam, the stopping of the waters of the Euphrates, everything. Almighty Allah lifted the veil of time and showed our Prophet (saas). But last of all, look, is Harista. Look, the neutralization of the ruler of Egypt. The collapse of his sultanate. The ruler of Egypt. He even says he has a hook nose. The top of his nose has a concavity, he says. It is exactly as said down to the finest detail. Everything that Rasulullah (saas) has said is being realized just as he said. Almighty Allah is showing us the miracles of our Prophet (saas) in these fine days. Another miracle, another one, one more... I was amazed when I saw it the other day. Harista, exactly the same.. The same district referred to in the hadith. He says it will be obliterated. That there will be a disaster there. Just like he says. He says there will be grave disorder in Damascus. Everything Rasulullah (saas) said is coming about, exactly as he said. Almighty Allah has given you a responsibility in the same way as with Hazrat Maryam, masha'Allah. How nice this is. You went to Afghanistan as a journalist, didn't you? There, Allah has blessed you with the right path. And you were held captive there for 11 days?
Yvonne Ridley: Yes, I had sneaked into Afghanistan just after the events of 9/11 and I was arrested by the Taliban two days later and held there for eleven days; it was a terrifying experience, but it also provided the trigger for my interest in Islam. So, Alhamdulillah.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah, masha'Allah, masha'Allah..  
Yvonne Ridley: The world is becoming a smaller place, especially because of the air travel, and I hope to come to Turkey much more frequently; as I said before, it is a great country, the people are great, the food is superb, and so I am a big fan of Turkey. But you mentioned the situation in Syria; and it reminds me of a video I saw just a few days ago of the people of Homs who turned out into the streets in their tens of thousands, and they said that they will continue in their resistance against tyranny, and they then said that they were putting all their faith in Allah; and they are God-fearing people and, insha'Allah, Allah will guide them and we must all pray for their safe delivery from tyranny.
Adnan Oktar: Getting rid of the oppressive regime.. In fact what is important is to get rid of the system of the dajjal [anti-messiah] in the world. Rescuing Syria is not the end of it of course. Rescuing Palestine is not the end of it. The essential thing, as you know, is to liberate the whole Islamic world. Insha'Allah, the time has come for this. That is a blessing that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and Jesus the Messiah (pbuh) can perform together. It is something they can bring about together. Even if many people cannot see it. That is the direction things are headed. Our Prophet (saas) speaks of a village called Harista. And that has come about, exactly. He says something else, and that also happens word for word. Pleading ignorance is one of the sicknesses of the End Times. Even if you punch them on the head they will probably say a fly has landed on them or a strong wind is blowing. They refuse to understand. But that incomprehension will soon disappear and they will see the truth more clearly.
We wish to benefit from your knowledge and learning frequently. Many communities and societies in Turkey will wish to benefit from your learning, insha'Allah. We would be pleased if you would come here at shorter intervals in future.
Yvonne Ridley: I would very much like that, but I'm Islamically just a few years old; I'm still very much a child, and even if live another fifty, sixty, years I will still be learning about Islam because every day there is a new challenge; every day there is something new to learn; you've just spoken of the hadith about the village in Syria and this is something new for me, and every day is an opportunity to increase my knowledge of Islam, so thank you.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah. That is amazing, Harista is the place the real bombardment has taken place. Harista.. it is the exact place and our Prophet (saas) giving the name, he speaks of a district called Harista that will be destroyed. He says this is a sign of the coming of the Mahdi in the End times. Something that had never happened now happens as the time comes.
Adnan Oktar: Are we preparing this book in English? The Islamic Union. Of course the English-language version must be produced at once. What advice does the hodja have for us? What would she like to say to us in conclusion?
Yvonne Ridley: Well, I can't believe that someone like yourself is asking me for advice; I am the student, you are the Master and I really... when people ask me as a new Muslim what my message is, I just say to the other Muslims "be very proud of who you are, be very proud of what you represent", and because everything we do is in praise of Allah, make sure we do at least one hundred percent for Allah.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah, you are humble, virtuous, you are sincere, radiant. You are a fine Muslim, Masha'Allah.  
Yvonne Ridley: Well, thank you; I find that very humbling and some days I feel good that I'm getting there, and other days I take a few steps back, so like every Muslim, it's a challenge, but a good one.
Adnan Oktar: Masha'Allah. May Allah increase all our learning and give us happiness. May He give us health, happiness and beauty. I believe you are going to be speaking at a meeting at the university today, since I know that I can not detain you any longer, we shall call a brief break in the program. It has been an honor. I am delighted to have spoken to you. May Allah be pleased, and we are hoping to see you again. Let us your radiant face again and benefit from your discourse insha'Allah.
Yvonne Ridley: Thank you very much, and I wish you and your station and your viewers all the very best that there is out there, and thank you, I'm humbled.
Adnan Oktar: May Allah be pleased. May Allah be pleased with you. Thank you.