Look up Egyptian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Egyptian may refer to:

• Of or pertaining to Egypt, a country in northeastern Africa
  • A citizen of Egypt. See Demographics of Egypt.
  • Egyptians, an ethnic group in North Africa
  • Egyptian Arabic, the language spoken in Egypt. See also Languages of Egypt.
  • Egyptian culture, culture of the nation
  • Egyptian cuisine
• Of or pertaining to ancient Egyptian civilization, from circa 3200 BC to 343 BC
  • Ancient Egyptian cuisine
  • Egyptian language, spoken until the seventeenth century
• Egyptians (Balkans), an unrelated Albanian-speaking ethnic minority of Kosovo and Macedonia
• of or pertaining to the region of Southern Illinois known as "Egypt" or "Little Egypt"
• The Egyptian, a 1945 historical novel by Mika Waltari
• The Egyptian (film), a 1954 film by Michael Curtiz, based on Waltari's novel
• Slab serif letter forms in typography
  • Egyptian (typeface)

People[link]

• Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, popularly known as "The Egyptian"
• Egyptian Healy (1866–1899), pitcher for Major League Baseball in the 19th century
• Egyptian Lover (born 1963), American musician, vocalist, producer and DJ
• Famous Egyptian

See also[link]

• Egypt (disambiguation)
• Egyptians (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Jonathan Richman
Live at the Blind Pig, Ann Arbor, Michigan (2005)
Background information
Born	(1951-05-16) May 16, 1951 (age 61) Natick, Massachusetts, United States
Genres	Rock, New wave, proto-punk, singer-songwriter
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitarist, vocalist, saxophonist
Years active	1970 – present
Labels	Beserkley Records
Associated acts	The Modern Lovers

Jonathan Michael Richman^[1] (born May 16, 1951)^[2] is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing. He is known for his wide-eyed,^[3] unaffected and child-like outlook, and music that, while rooted in rock and roll, often draws on influences from around the world.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Born in Natick, Massachusetts, Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the mid-1960s. He became infatuated with The Velvet Underground, and in 1969 he moved to New York City, lived on the couch of their manager, Steve Sesnick, worked odd jobs and tried to break in as a professional musician. Failing at this, he returned to Boston.

The Modern Lovers[link]

While in Boston, Richman formed The Modern Lovers, a proto-punk garage rock band. Other notable members of the group were keyboard player Jerry Harrison and drummer David Robinson, who later joined Talking Heads and The Cars, respectively.^[2] Many of the group's songs feature Boston-based topics.

In 1972 they recorded a series of demos with producer John Cale (formerly of the Velvet Underground). Among these songs were the seminal "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso" which were eventually released on the group's post-breakup album, The Modern Lovers (August, 1976).^[2] The album was unique for its time, featuring Velvets-influenced basic three-chord rock ("Roadrunner" — based on just two chords — is an homage to "Sister Ray") at a time when glam and progressive rock were the norm.

Later in 1972, the group also recorded with producer Kim Fowley; these demos were eventually released in 1981 as The Original Modern Lovers. Despite playing live regularly, the Modern Lovers had a difficult time securing a recording contract. By late 1973, Richman wanted to scrap the recorded tracks and start again with a mellower, more lyrical sound, influenced by the laid-back local music he had heard when the band had a residency at the Inverurie Hotel in Bermuda earlier in the year. This stymied efforts to complete a debut album, and led to the breakup of the original Modern Lovers in February 1974.

Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers[link]

In 1975, Richman moved to California to record as a solo singer/songwriter with Beserkley Records. His first released recordings appeared on 1975's Beserkley Chartbusters compilation, where he was backed by members of Earth Quake and the Rubinoos; these four songs also appeared on singles on the independent Beserkley label.

In January 1976, Richman put together a new version of the Modern Lovers, which included original Modern Lovers drummer, David Robinson, along with former Rubinoos bassist, Greg 'Curly' Keranen and Leroy Radcliffe, on guitar. The albums produced by the new group found Richman turning away from electric rock music towards gentler acoustic textures, with a strong rooting in 1950s rock and roll (Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA" was part of his repertoire).

The album Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers was released in May, 1976 (three months before the earlier The Modern Lovers sessions were finally released) but David Robinson left the group soon thereafter, due to frustration with Richman's quest for lower volume levels, and joined with Ric Ocasek in forming the band The Cars.

After several months as a trio, Richman found a new drummer, D. Sharpe (aka David) - an accomplished avant garde jazz player on the Boston scene, who later went on to become a member of pianist Carla Bley's band.

Drawing inspiration from such artists as the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Paul Motian and Anthony Braxton, D. Sharpe replaced the traditional rock and roll drum kit with an eclectic assortment of percussion instruments, including a large African three-legged drum covered in zebra skin; a 1947 De Soto automobile hub-cap (cum snare drum); a rack full of various pot lids and bells hanging on strings; exotic cymbals with many tonal 'imperfections'; frequent use of mallets instead of drumsticks, and brushes with which he would sometimes simply 'play the air' (i.e., without hitting anything else), as could be felt more than heard^{[citation needed]}, especially in live performances, of the song "Afternoon".^[4]

Rock and Roll with the Modern Lovers was released in 1977 and, just as this record began to climb the charts in Europe, Keranen left the group (to attend college). A subsequent live album, Modern Lovers Live, was released in 1978, featuring Asa Brebner on bass.^[2]

In the United Kingdom, Richman was recognised as a progenitor of the punk rock scene, and several of his singles became hits. "Roadrunner" reached Number 11 in the UK Singles Chart, and its follow-up, the instrumental "Egyptian Reggae", made Number 5 in late 1977.^[5] "Egyptian Reggae" was a version of Jamaican musician Earl Zero's reggae song "None Shall Escape the Judgment"; Zero was credited as co-writer on Richman's later versions of the track.^[6][7]

Back in Your Life was released in 1979 under the "Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers" moniker, but only about half the disc featured a backup band. The rest was solo work.

Solo[link]

Richman in Tokyo, Japan, performing live (September 17, 2006)

Following the Modern Lovers' final breakup, Richman went on sabbatical for a few years staying in Appleton, Maine, and playing at local bars in Belfast, Maine including the famous Belfast Cafe' and the equally well known diner and rough and ready bar next door to the cafe' called Barb's Place. While in Maine; Jonathan took his unique solo shows straight to bemused and unknowing audiences and became a local favorite. His years in Belfast, Appleton, and the great State of Maine, love, the bugs, the weather, and the water and trees of Maine show up often and regularly in his recordings and performances.

He returned to recording in 1983 with Jonathan Sings!, followed by Rockin' and Romance (produced by Andy Paley and engineered by Daniel Levitin). These were followed up with a brace of pop efforts (It's Time for Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers, and Modern Lovers 88 from 1986 and 1988 respectively). After the latter release, the "Modern Lovers" moniker was finally retired, and having begun a true "solo" career, he returned to a variety of musical genres: country music with 1990's Jonathan Goes Country, and Spanish translations of his earlier work (as well as traditional Spanish language songs) with Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar! (1993).^[2]

In 1993, he contributed the track "Hot Nights" to the AIDS-Benefit Album No Alternative produced by the Red Hot Organization.

Always possessing an ardent cult following, Richman has become better known in recent years thanks to a series of appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Another major profile boost was a key part in the Farrelly Brothers' 1998 film, There's Something About Mary, where he played half of a two-man Greek chorus that commented on the plot while performing in the framed action itself. He also appeared briefly in a bar scene in a previous Farrelly Brothers film, Kingpin. He also performed a song called "As We Walk to Fenway Park" for the 2005 Farrelly-directed comedy Fever Pitch.

Richman has continued his release schedule all along, with You Must Ask the Heart (1995), Surrender to Jonathan (1996), I'm So Confused (1998), Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow (2001), and Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love (2004). In 1998 a live album of Modern Lovers recordings from the early 1970s was released, Live at the Long Branch & More. There is also a DVD of a live performance, Take me to the Plaza (2002).

In live solo shows, he frequently tours with drummer Tommy Larkins, the other part of the two-man chorus mentioned above.

Personal life[link]

His first marriage was to Gail Clook of Vermont, in 1983. This ended in divorce sometime shortly before the release of Surrender to Jonathan (1996).

In 2003, Richman married Nicole Montalbano of Chico, California.^[8][9] She contributed backing vocals to the album Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love (2004).

He has a daughter, Jenny Rae, from his first marriage.

Influence[link]

Richman's work with the first incarnation of Modern Lovers is a major influence on punk rock. One critic called him the "Godfather of Punk".^[10] Artists as diverse as the Sex Pistols and Joan Jett have covered "Roadrunner". Boston ska-punk band, Big D and the Kids Table, have covered "New England" live and on their Gypsy Hill EP. A version of "Pablo Picasso" performed by Burning Sensations was included in the 1984 cult film, Repo Man. David Bowie covered "Pablo Picasso" on his album Reality. Velvet Underground founding member John Cale has a version of the song on his 1975 album, Helen of Troy, and continues to include the song in his live shows. Iggy Pop has performed "Pablo Picasso" live and wrote an extra verse for it. Echo and the Bunnymen covered "She Cracked" in concert in 1984 and 1985 and Siouxsie and the Banshees have a version of the song on Downside Up.

Richman's music has set the tone for many alternative rock bands, such as Violent Femmes, Galaxie 500, They Might Be Giants ("Roadrunner" reportedly inspired John Flansburgh to become a musician), Weezer, Tullycraft, Jens Lekman, singer Frank Black (who composed the tribute song "The Man Who Was Too Loud"), Brandon Flowers, Art Brut, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady & Lifter Puller and Nerf Herder who composed a song about him, titled "Jonathan", which appeared on the band's second album How To Meet Girls. British country rock band The Rockingbirds released the single "Jonathan, Jonathan" in tribute to Richman in 1992.

As a producer himself, Richman and drummer Tommy Larkin produced Vic Chesnutt's final album Skitter on Take-Off in 2009 which appeared on Vapor Records. Chesnutt opened for Richman at concerts many times during his later years.

"Roadrunner" is on the soundtrack of School of Rock. In the commentary, director Richard Linklater mentions it is often called "the first punk song" and wanted to include it for that reason, along with all the other seminal rock songs in that film.

A tribute album, If I Were a Richman: a Tribute to the Music of Jonathan Richman, was released by Wampus Multimedia in 2001.

Discography[link]

Jonathan Richman, live at the Soft Rock Cafe, Kitsilano, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1983)

Studio albums[link]

• The Modern Lovers (1976)
• Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers (1976)
• Rock 'n' Roll with the Modern Lovers (1977)
• Modern Lovers 'Live' (1977)
• Back in Your Life (1979)
• The Original Modern Lovers (1981)
• Jonathan Sings! (1983)
• Rockin' & Romance (1985)
• It's Time For (1986)
• Modern Lovers 88 (1988)
• Jonathan Richman (1989)
• Jonathan Goes Country (1990)
• Having a Party with Jonathan Richman (1991)
• I, Jonathan (1992)
• ¡Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar! (1994)
• You Must Ask the Heart (1995)
• Surrender to Jonathan (1996)
• I'm So Confused (1998)
• Radio On/Stop And Shop With The Modern Lovers (2 on 1) (1998)
• Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow (2001)
• Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love (2004)
• Revolution Summer (2007)
• Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild (2008)
• ¿A qué venimos sino a caer? (2008)
• O Moon, Queen of Night on Earth (2010)

Live albums[link]

• Live at the Longbranch Saloon (1992)
• Precise Modern Lovers Order (1994)
• Live at the Longbranch and More (1998)

(These three live albums are from the same three 1971-3 performances, but add and subtract a few different songs. The last two, combined, contain all the songs)^[2]

Compilations[link]

• Beserkley Chartbusters Vol. 1 (Compilation, four songs) (1975)
• "I'm Straight" and "Government Center", from the Modern Lovers' Kim Fowley-produced Beserkley sessions, first appeared on the Warner Bros. Records compilation Troublemakers (1980)
• "I Like Gumby"; On the Gumby compilation album - Jonathan Richman
• 1993, contributed "Hot Nights" (live) to the AIDS-Benefit Album No Alternative produced by the Red Hot Organization.
• Performs "Stop Your Sobbing" on the 2002 Kinks tribute album This Is Where I Belong.
• Action Packed: The Best Of Jonathan Richman (2002)
• "The Origin of Love" on Wig in a Box (2003)
• "Our Dog Is Getting Older Now" on the charity album Colours Are Brighter (October 2006)

Singles[link]

US issues except where stated

• "Roadrunner" / "It Will Stand" (United Artists UP36006, 1975)
• "Roadrunner" / ("Friday On My Mind" by Earth Quake) (Beserkley B-4701, 1976)
• "Roadrunner (Once)" / "Roadrunner (Twice)" (Beserkley BZZ 1, UK, 1976)
• "Roadrunner" / "Pablo Picasso" (Beserkley PA-205, 1976)
• "New England" / "Here Come The Martian Martians" (Beserkley B-5743, 1976)
• "Egyptian Reggae" / "Ice Cream Man" (Beserkley 6.12 217, 1977)
• "Egyptian Reggae" / "Rollercoaster By The Sea" (Beserkley BZZ 2, UK, 1977)
• "The Morning Of Our Lives (Live)" / "Roadrunner (Thrice) (Live)" (Beserkley BZZ 7, UK, 1977)
• "New England (Live)" / "Astral Plane (Live)" (Beserkley BZZ 14, UK, 1978)
• "Abdul and Cleopatra" / "Astral Plane (Live)" (Beserkley 11813, 1978)
• "Abdul and Cleopatra" / "Oh Carol" (Beserkley BZZ 19, UK, 1978)
• "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" / "Abdul and Cleopatra" (Beserkley 6.12 311, 1978)
• "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz" / "Hospital (Live)" (BZZ 25, UK, 1978)
• "My Little Kookenhaken" / "Roadrunner (Thrice) (Live)" (Beserkley 11819, 1978)
• "South American Folk Song (Live)" / "Ice Cream Man (Live)" (1978)
• "Lydia" / "Important In Your Life" (BZZ 28, UK, 1979)
• "That Summer Feeling" / "This Kind Of Music" (1984)
• "That Summer Feeling" / "This Kind Of Music" / "Tag Game" (Rough Trade RTT 152, UK, 1984)
• "I'm Just Beginning To Live" / "Circle I" (1985)
• "I'm Just Beginning To Live" / "Circle I" / "Shirin and Fahrad" (Rough Trade RTT 154, UK, 1985)
• "California Desert Party" / "When Harpo Played His Harp" (DRD 1D474, Spain, 1988)
• "Egyptian Reggae" / "Roadrunner" (1989)^[2]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Tim Mitchell, There's Something About Jonathan, London: Peter Owen Publishers, 1999, ISBN 0-7206-1076-1

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jonathan Richman

Adnan Oktar
Born	Adnan Oktar 1956 (age 55–56) Ankara, Turkey
Residence	Turkey
Other names	Harun Yahya, Adnan Hoca
Occupation	Author
Known for	Islamic creationism, Anti-Zionism, Anti-Masonry
Religion	Sunni Muslim
Website
www.harunyahya.com

Adnan Oktar (born 1956), also known as Harun Yahya,^[1] is an author and Islamic creationist.^[2] In 2007, he sent thousands of unsolicited copies of his book, Atlas of Creation^[3], which advocates Islamic creationism, to American scientists, members of Congress, and science museums.^[4] Oktar runs two organizations of which he is also the Honorary President: Bilim Araştırma Vakfı ("Science Research Foundation", BAV, established 1990), which promotes creationism and Milli Değerleri Koruma Vakfı ("Foundation to Protect National Values", established 1995) which claimed to promote Turkish nationalism.^[5] In the last two decades, Oktar has been involved in a number of legal cases, both as defendant and plaintiff.

Biography[link]

Adnan Oktar was born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1956. He grew up in Ankara, and lived there through his high school years where he studied the works of Islamic scholars like Said Nursi,^[6][7] a Muslim Kurdish scholar who wrote Risale-i Nur, an extensive Qur'anic commentary which includes a comprehensive political and religious ideology.^[8]

In 1979, Adnan Oktar came to Istanbul and entered Mimar Sinan University.^[9] These years were marked with violence and repression which led to the installation of a military junta following the coup of September 1980. The environment in Turkey was one of political and cultural instability, threatened by Cold War politics, and a clash between Kemalist secular modernisers and a rising tide of Islamic militancy.^[7] In this environment he regularly went to the Molla Mosque in Fındıklı locality, close to the academy of fine arts where he studied interior architecture,^[10][11] to pray regardless of threats.^[9] Edip Yuksel, who knew him during those years, described him as a "Sunni zealot."^[6]

In the early 1980s, he gathered young students around him to share his views of Islam. These students belonged to socially-active and prosperous families of Istanbul.^[6] From 1982 to 1984, a group of 20 to 30 was formed. They were joined by private high school students who were from socially active and well-known families with a high economic status who had become newly religious.^[9] Edip Yüksel said he presented his teachings "gently and in a modern fashion to the children of the privileged class, without intimidating them... a refined and urbanized version of Said Nursi."^[6]

In his religious teachings, he argued against Marxism, communism and materialistic philosophy. He attached special importance to refuting the Theory of Evolution and Darwinism^[12] because he felt that it had been turned into an ideology used to promote materialism and atheism, and numerous derivative ideologies. He personally funded a pamphlet entitled the Theory of Evolution^[9] which combined "mysticism with scientific rhetoric."^[6][7]

In 1986 he enrolled in the Philosophy Department of Istanbul University. Adnan Oktar appeared as the cover story of Nokta (The Point) magazine, reporting how he gathered with his friends and held lectures in a mosque. Many university students, mostly from Bosphorus University, one of the most prestigious universities of Turkey, started to participate. Adnan Oktar's name began to appear regularly in the press, sometimes in the headlines. Later that year he published a book titled Judaism and Freemasonry based on conspiracy theories that state offices, universities, political groups and media were influenced by a "hidden group".^[9] Adnan Oktar later qualified those remarks. (see "Conspiracy Theories" below)

Oktar was arrested, charged with promoting a theocratic revolution for which he served 19 months, though he was never formally charged.^[6][7] In 1986, Oktar spent 10 months in a mental hospital, but he complains that he was not mentally ill but a political "prisoner" who was punished because of the publication of his book, Freemasonry and Judaism.^[11][13]

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Oktar built up his community. His followers were especially active recruiting in the summer resorts along the shore of the Sea of Marmara. The social organization within the group become more hierarchical and took on a Messianic nature.^[7] Oktar says that due to the anarchy and terror in those years, he was unable to continue his studies. He had already begun working on his books, so when he left school he devoted his energy to his books.^[14]

In 1990, he founded the Science Research Foundation (SRF, or, in Turkish, Bilim Araştırma Vakfı, or BAV). Oktar founded the Science Research Foundation to hold conferences and seminars for scientific activities "that target mass awareness concerning what the real underlying causes of social and political conflicts are",^[15] which he describes to be materialism and Darwinism, though some media describe the BAV as "a secretive Islamic sect"^[16] and "cult-like organization, that jealously guards the secrets of its considerable wealth".^[17] Members of the BAV are sometimes referred to as Adnan Hocacılar ("Adherents of Adnan the Hodja") by the public^[18]

In 1994 the Islamist Welfare Party (Refah Partisi), the predecessor of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), won control of the municipalities of Istanbul and Ankara. The new mayors (in Istanbul this was Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, now Turkey’s Prime Minister) sought broader support. The journalist and editor Fatih Altayli claimed that Oktar made business agreements with municipalities under the control of the Welfare party. This claim was denied by Oktar, and resulted in libel suits against Fatih Altayli with various results.^[7]

In 1995, Adnan Oktar founded Foundation for Protection of National Values (FPNV or in Turkish Millî Değerleri Koruma Vakfı), through which he networks with other conservative Turkish nationalist organizations and individuals based on the ideology of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.^[7]

In 1997, after another military intervention, the “bloodless coup” of 1997, the government of Erbakan stepped down and the Welfare Party disbanded. According to the New Humanist, the current AKP government avoids political connections with Oktar and his organization.^[7]

In September 1999 Adnan Oktar was arrested and charged with using threats for personal benefit and creating an organization with the intent to commit a crime (see "Legal issues" below).^[19] After a court case lasting two years the charges were dismissed.

After 11 September 2001 and the WTC attacks, Oktar published a book called Islam Denounces Terrorism. Oktar spoke more of interfaith dialogue, attempting to unify believers of all stripes. Muslims, Christians and Jews should unite against the corrupting influence of Darwinism, which he held responsible for fascism, anti-Semitism and the holocaust.^[7]

Between that time and present, BAV has organized hundreds of conferences on creationism in Turkey^[20][21] and worldwide.^[22][23] He built a large publishing enterprise^[24] with publications sold though Islamic bookstore worldwide.^[25] He is considered "one of the most widely distributed authors in the Muslim world".^[25] His television show is viewed by many in the Arab world.^[26] Adnan Oktar has been preaching about the “Turkish-Islamic Union”, which would bring peace to the entire Muslim world under the leadership of Turkey.^[7]

In 2007 he sent out thousands of unsolicited copies of his Atlas of Creation advocating Islam and creationism to schools and colleges in several European countries and the USA.^[4]

The next year the 1999 case was reopened by another court (see "Legal issues" below). Adnan Oktar was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison.^[19] But the verdict was appealed and in May 2010 it was overturned. During these years he engaged in numerous libel suits with various results (See "Legal Issues" below). In some cases he was successful in blocking high-profile websites in Turkey for slander (See "Blocking Internet Sites" below), including that of Richard Dawkins, as well as the complete Wordpress-site.

In 2010, Adnan Oktar was selected as one of the top fifty of The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre of Jordan for his dissemination of creationism in an Islamic context, and other extensively distributed publications on Islamic topics.^[27]

Writings[link]

Oktar has written numerous books under the pen name Harun Yahya. "Harun" refers to the biblical Aaron and "Yahya" refers to the New Testament John the Baptist.

Oktar's books on faith-related topics attempt to communicate the existence and oneness of God (Allah in the Qur'an) according to the Islamic faith, and are written with the main purpose of introducing Islam to those who are strangers to religion. Each of his books on science-related topics stresses his views on the might, sublimity, and majesty of God. These books attempt to display for non-Muslims what Oktar claims to be signs of the existence of God, and the excellence of his creation. A sub-group within this series are the series of "Books Demolishing the Lie of Evolution", a critique of the ideas of materialism, evolution, Darwinism, and atheism.

These publications argue against evolution. They assert that evolution denies the existence of God, abolishes moral values, and promotes materialism and communism.^[28] Oktar argues that Darwinism, by stressing the "survival of the fittest", has inspired racism, Nazism, communism and terrorism. A claim not unexpected in Turkey when during the political turmoil before a 1980 military coup, communist bookshops touted Darwin's works as a complement to Karl Marx.^[29]

Truman State University physicist Taner Edis, who was born in Turkey, says the secret to BAV's success is the huge popularity of the Harun Yahya books. "They're fairly lavishly produced, on good-quality paper with full-color illustrations all over the place," he says. "They're trying to compete with any sort of science publication you can find in the Western world. And in a place like Turkey, Yahya books look considerably better-published than most scientific publications.".^[30] Many of Oktar's books have been made into high-resolution videos which are freely downloadable on the Internet.^[31]

Creationism[link]

The spread of organized Christian creationism to Islam began in the 1980s, when the Muslim minister of education in Turkey turned to the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), a Christian institution then located near San Diego, California, for help in developing twofold curriculum that would teach evolution and creation side by side.

In 1990, the Science Research Foundation (BAV in Turkish) was formed in Istanbul, headed by Oktar.^[32]

Oktar for many years drew on the writings of young earth Christian creationists to develop his case against evolution. However, Islam does not require belief in Young Earth creationism, and making use of the fact that earth may have existed for billions of years, Oktar later produced material which was more similar to Intelligent Design. So similar in fact, that Harun Yahya's website was listed as an 'Islamic intelligent design' website by the Discovery Institute.^[32] However Oktar does not embrace use of the term 'Intelligent Design' due to its lack of specific mention of God, calling it 'another of Satan's snares'.^{[32] [33]}

In early 1998, the BAV launched its first campaign against evolution and Darwinism.^[7] Thousands of free copies of Adnan Oktar's book, The Evolution Deceit, and the booklets based on this book were distributed throughout Turkey.^[34] They regularly ran full-page ads against evolution in daily Turkish newspapers and even ran an ad in the U.S. magazine TIME.^[5] The funding of the campaigns is unknown.^[11] BAV spearheaded an effort to confront Turkish academics who taught evolutionary biology^[35] A number of faculty members were harassed, threatened and slandered in fliers, leading to legal action against BAV (see "Legal Issues" below).

In 2005, Professor Ümit Sayın summed up the effect of the BAV's campaign when he said to The Pitch:^[30]

In 1998, I was able to motivate six members of the Turkish Academy of Sciences to speak out against the creationist movement. Today, it's impossible to motivate anyone. They're afraid they'll be attacked by the radical Islamists and the BAV.

In September 2008 Oktar issued a challenge offering "10 trillion Turkish lira to anyone who produces a single intermediate-form fossil demonstrating evolution". He has claimed, "Not one [fossil] belongs to strange-looking creatures in the course of development of the kind supposed by evolutionists." Dr Kevin Padian at the University of California has criticized the notion that such fossils do not exist, stating that Oktar "does not have any sense of what we know about how things change through time. If he sees a fossil crab, he says, 'It looks just like a regular crab, there's no evolution.'"^[36]

However, the reaction of scientific community is negative and dismissive.

Taner Edis has said "there is nothing new in the Yahya material: scientifically negligible arguments and outright distortions often copied from Christian anti-evolution literature, presented with a conservative Muslim emphasis" concluding it "has no scholarly standing whatsoever".^[37] According to Richard Dawkins, Oktar "doesn't know anything about zoology, doesn't know anything about biology. He knows nothing about what he is attempting to refute".^[11]

In France, scientists spoke out against the book, and American scientists are unimpressed.^[38]

The Atlas of Creation[link]

Cover of the English edition of volume 1 of The Atlas of Creation (Global Publishing, Istanbul, 2006)

Oktar published volume 1 of his Yaratılış Atlası (The Atlas of Creation), with Global Publishing, Istanbul, Turkey in October 2006.^[39] Volumes 2 and 3 followed in 2007. A dedicated website (yaratilisatlasi.com, English atlasofcreation.com) registered to Global Yayıncılık (Global Publishing), Istanbul, went online also in 2007.

At 11 x 17 inches and 12 pounds, with a bright red cover and almost 800 glossy pages, most of them lavishly illustrated, “Atlas of Creation” is according the New York Times "probably the largest and most beautiful creationist challenge yet to Darwin’s theory, which Mr. Yahya calls a feeble and perverted ideology contradicted by the Koran".^[4] Tens of thousands of copies of the book have been delivered, on an unsolicited basis, to schools, prominent researchers and research institutes throughout Europe and the United States.^[4][40]

Biologist Kevin Padian from University of California, Berkeley, said that people who had received copies were “just astounded at its size and production values and equally astonished at what a load of crap it is." adding that "[Oktar] does not really have any sense of what we know about how things change through time.”^[4]

Gerdien de Jong, one of five biologists at Utrecht University who received a copy of the book, has described its reasoning as "absurdly ridiculous".^[41]

Biologist PZ Myers wrote: "The general pattern of the book is repetitious and predictable: the book shows a picture of a fossil and a photo of a living animal, and declares that they haven't changed a bit, therefore evolution is false. Over and over. It gets old fast, and it's usually wrong (they have changed!) and the photography, while lovely, is entirely stolen."^[42]

The Committee on Culture, Science and Education of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe wrote in a report that "None of the arguments in this work are based on any scientific evidence, and the book appears more like a primitive theological treatise than the scientific refutation of the theory of evolution."^[43]

Conspiracy theories[link]

Oktar propagates a number of conspiracy theories, beginning with his 1986 Yahudilik ve Masonluk (Judaism and Freemasonry). The book suggests that the principal mission of Jews and Freemasons in Turkey was to erode the spiritual, religious, and moral values of the Turkish people and, thus, make them like animals, as stated in what Oktar refers to as their use of "Distorted Torah."^[9][44] Oktar asserts that "the materialist standpoint, evolution theory, anti-religious and immoral lifestyles were indoctrinated to the society as a whole" by Jews and Freemasons.^[9]

Oktar's theory of a global conspiracy of Freemasonry is expounded in his book Global Masonluk (English Global Freemasonry) and on his websites Masonluk^[45] and Global Freemasonry.^[46] According to Oktar, Freemasonry is "the main architect of the world system based on materialist philosophy, but which keeps that true identity concealed."^[46] Oktar claims that the theory of evolution is a Masonic conspiracy initiated by the Rosicrucians.

Oktar's recent publications declare Darwinism and Materialism to be conspiracies responsible for anti-semitism and terrorism.^[7][47] In recent publications and interviews (since 2004^[48]), Oktar qualifies his condemnations of Zionism and Freemasonry by adding the word atheist before them, as in atheist Zionists^[49] and atheist Freemasons.^[50]

Holocaust Denial and Affirmation[link]

In 1996, BAV distributed its first book, originally published the previous year, entitled Soykırım Yalanı (The Holocaust Lie).^[51][52] The publication of Soykırım Yalanı sparked much public debate.^[53] This book claims that "what is presented as Holocaust is the death of some Jews due to the typhus plague during the war and the famine towards the end of the war caused by the defeat of the Germans."^[54]

A Turkish painter and intellectual, Bedri Baykam, published a strongly worded critique of the book in the Ankara daily newspaper Siyah-Beyaz ("Black and White"). A legal suit for slander was brought against him. During the trial in September, Baykam exposed the real author of The Holocaust Lie as Adnan Oktar.^[53] The suit was withdrawn in March 1997.^[55][56]

In 2001, the Stephen Roth Institute, of Tel-Aviv University, listed Oktar as a Holocaust denier due to the publication of The Holocaust Lie.^[57]

Three years later the Stephen Roth Institute expressed the opinion that Adnan Oktar had increased his tolerance toward others, asserting that "he now works towards promoting inter-religious dialogue".^[48] calling upon all Muslims to have "a tolerant and friendly attitude toward other religions".^[58]

In 2006, BAV published a book affirming the Holocaust, called The Holocaust Violence. The Holocaust Violence states "The Nazis subjected European Jews to indisputable and unforgivable cruelty during World War II. They humiliated, insulted and degraded millions of Jewish civilians, forcing them from their homes and enslaving them in concentration camps under inhuman conditions... Certainly the Jewish people, of whom 5.5 million died in concentration camps, were the worst victims of the Nazi barbarity."^[59]

In a 2007 interview with The Guardian, Oktar denied writing The Holocaust Lie, a claim that The Guardian stated was "hard to believe."^[60] The next year in an interview with Der Spiegel, Adnan Oktar stated that "The Holocaust Lie," had been written by a member of his organization who had published his own essays using Oktar's pen-name "Harun Yahya", upon his own initiative. Oktar disclaimed the first book, and said the second book reflected his own opinions.^[52]

In 2009, Oktar expressed his views for Jews in his own words, "hatred or anger toward the line of the Prophet Abraham is completely unacceptable. The Prophet Abraham is our ancestor, and the Jews are our brothers. We want the descendants of the Prophet Abraham to live in the easiest, pleasantest and most peaceful manner. We want them to be free to perform their religious obligations, to live as they wish in the lands of their forebears and to frequently remember Allah in comfort and security."^[61] In 2009 and 2010, Oktar published several websites of Jewish interest.^[62][63][64]

Other legal issues[link]

In addition to the slander trial over The Holocaust Lie, Oktar has been involved in other cases. Although most are unrelated to creationism or religion, a BAV spokesperson says Oktar is being persecuted “because of his ideas.” Physicist Taner Edis of Truman State University, who has followed the case closely, says given the political pressures on Turkey’s justice system, that’s “not entirely implausible.”^[65]

In the summer of 1986, Oktar was arrested for his statement "I am from the nation of Abraham and Turkish ethnicity" in a newspaper interview.^[66] According to the New Humanist, Oktar was arrested for promoting a theocratic revolution for which he served 19 months, though he was never formally charged.^[7]

In 1991, Oktar was arrested for possession of cocaine,^[67] which he claimed had been planted in one of the books in his library by the security forces, who, he said, also spiked his food with cocaine.^[68] He was later acquitted.^[67]

A number of faculty members who taught evolution were harassed, threatened and slandered in flyers that labeled them "Maoists". In 1999, six of the professors won a civil court case against the BAV for defamation and were each awarded $4,000.^[30]

In 1999, Oktar was arrested and charged with using threats for personal benefit and creating an organization with the intent to commit a crime.^[19] BAV's lawyers claimed there were several human rights violations during this police operation, as well as the use of violence during the arrest and afterwards.^[69] The judicial process lasted over two years, during which most of the complainants retracted their claims. As a result, cases against Oktar and other BAV members were dismissed.^[35]

The 1999 case was reopened by another court in 2008. The indictment from the prosecutor’s office, made public by Cumhuriyet, claimed blackmail and extortion. Among other things, it claimed that BAV used its female members to attract young scholars from rich families with the promise of sexual favors in exchange for attending events. It was claimed that the sexual activities of thousands of people were videotaped with hidden cameras for the purpose of blackmail. Members who wanted to leave the group were threatened that the tapes would be made public.^[7][70] In the face of all these allegations against BAV, the Chairman of the Court announced in the hearing on 29 February 2008, that testimonies obtained through unlawful means may not be considered as evidence based on article 148 of the criminal code.^[71]

Oktar was convicted of creating an illegal organization for personal gain. He and 17 other members of his organisation were sentenced to three years in prison.^{[19][72][73][74]} Oktar appealed the verdict.^[75][76] In May 2010, the Court of Appeals overturned the conviction and dismissed the charges.^[77]

Blocking of Internet sites[link]

Since 2007 Oktar has successfully had the Turkish government block public access to several websites. In April 2007, Oktar filed a libel lawsuit against the owners of Ekşi Sözlük, a virtual community similar to everything2. The court reviewed the complaint and ordered the service provider to close the site to public access. The site was temporarily suspended so the entry on Oktar could be expunged and locked. Then access to Süper Poligon, a news website, was also restricted following Oktar's complaint.^[78] In August 2007, Oktar got a Turkish court to block WordPress.com in all of Turkey. His lawyers argued that blogs on WordPress.com contained libelous material on Oktar and his colleague, which WordPress.com staff was unwilling to remove.^[79]

In addition, Edip Yuksel, a Turkish writer who knew Oktar in the 1980s and is now critical of him, had his website banned in Turkey from Oktar's complaints.^[67] In addition, Yuksel wrote a Turkish-language book about Oktar called The Cult of the Antichrist, but he has yet to find "a publisher willing to brave Mr. Oktar's lawyers."^[67]

On 19 September 2008, a Turkish court banned Internet users in Turkey from viewing the official Richard Dawkins Web site after Oktar claimed its contents were defamatory, blasphemous and insulting religion, arguing that his personality was violated by this site. The ban was lifted on 8 July 2011.^{[73][80][81][82][83]} Also in September 2008, a complaint by Oktar led to the banning of the internet site of the Union of Education and Scientific Workers (Türk Eğitim Sen).^[84][85] This was followed by a block of the country's third-biggest newspaper site, Vatan, in October.^{[80][82][83][86][87]}

Television broadcasting[link]

On 21 March 2011, Oktar started television broadcasting on A9 satellite channel where his interviews and night lectures are broadcast live.^[88]

Bibliography[link]

A Call For Unity [of Muslims, Christians and Jews]	File:Jesus Second Coming Book.jpg The Signs of Jesus' Second Coming
File:Islam Denounces Terrorism.jpg Islam Denounces Terrorism	File:Wisdom and Sound Advice from the Torah.jpg Wisdom and Sound Advice from the Torah
File:Only Love can Defeat Terrorism.jpg Only Love can Defeat Terrorism	File:Islam Denounces Antisemitism.jpg Islam Denounces Antisemitism

Oktar's books and brochures appear in Turkish with "Vural Yayıncılık" ("Global Publishing"), Istanbul. English translations of Oktar's books appear with "Ta-Ha Publishers", London, UK; "Global Publishing", Istanbul, Turkey; "Al-Attique Publishers", Ontario, Canada and "Goodword Books", New Delhi, India.

Publication media includes: Books, Booklets (Pamphlets), Children's Books, Journals, Documentaries, Audio Books, CD's, Posters and over a hundred websites. The total number of books and brochures published by Oktar number in the hundreds.^[89] The works are lavishly produced, on good-quality paper with full-color illustrations^[30] and sold in Islamic bookstores worldwide.^[25]

• Yahya, Harun (1986). Yahudilik ve Masonluk (Judaism and Freemasonry). ISBN 9757043001. 
• Yahya, Harun (1995). Soykırım Yalanı (The Holocaust Lie). ISBN 9757856258. 
• Yahya, Harun (2000). Allah Is Known through Reason. New Delhi: Goodword Books. ISBN 8187570059. 
• Yahya, Harun (2000). Miracle in the Ant. ISBN 1842000152. 
• Yahya, Harun (2000). Allah Is Known through Reason. New Delhi: Goodword Books. ISBN 8187570059. 
• Yahya, Harun (2000). Allah's Artistry in Colour. Goodword Books. ISBN 1842000160. 
• Yahya, Hârun (2000). The Creation of the Universe. Al-Attique. ISBN 189426438X. 
• Yahya, Harun (2001). The Evolution Deceit. London: Ta-Ha. ISBN 9756579382. 
• Yahya, Harun; Clarke, Abdassamad (2001). The Miracle in the Atom. Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. ISBN 1842000233. 
• Yahya, Harun (2001). Disasters Darwinism Brought to Humanity. Al-Attique. ISBN 1894264444. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). Global Freemasonry. Global Publishing. ISBN 9756426004. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). The Glory in the Heavens. ISBN 1842000403. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). The Design in Nature. Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. ISBN 1842000357. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). The Alliance of the Good. Islamic Book Service. ISBN 8172313721. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). The World of Animals (Children, Have You Ever Thought?). ISBN 184200042X. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). Before You Regret. Al-Attique Publishers Inc. ISBN 189426441X. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). Fascism The Bloody Ideology of Darwinism. ISBN 983938435X. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). Islam Denounces Terrorism. Elmhurst: Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an. ISBN 1879402971. 
• Yahya, Harun (2002). Romanticism: A Weapon of Satan. ISBN 8188273201. 
• Yahya, Harun (2003). Wonderful Creatures. London: Ta-Ha Publishers. ISBN 1842000470. 
• Yahya, Harun (2003). 24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim. ISBN 1842000543. 
• Yahya, Harun (2003). The Courage Of The Faithful. ISBN 9756426624. 
• Author, Author (2003). A Definitive Reply to Evolutionist Propaganda. Global Publishing. ISBN 9756426241. 
• Yahya, Harun (2003). The Errors of The American National Academy of Science. 
• Yahya, Harun (2003). Why Darwinism Is Incompatible with the Quran. Global Publishing. ISBN 9756426039. 
• Yahya, Harun (2004). Signs of the Last Day. Global Publishing. ISBN 9756426020. 
• Yahya, Harun (2004). The Muslim Way of Speaking. ISBN 9756426438. 
• Yahya, Harun (2004). Passivity in Religion. ISBN 9756426640. 
• Yahya, Harun (2004). The Signs Of Jesus' Second Coming. ISBN 9756426497. 
• Yahya, Harun (2004). Answers from the Quran: For Newcomers to Islam. ISBN 8172315627. 
• Yahya, Harun (2004). Communist China's Policy of Oppression in East Turkestan. Global Publishing. ISBN 9756426446. 
• Yahya, Harun (2006). Atlas Of Creation (Volume 1). 
• Yahya, Harun (2007). Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature. ISBN 9756426772. 
• Yahya, Harun (2007). Miracle in the Eye. ISBN 9756426721. 
• Yahya, Harun (2007). Allahs Miracles in the Quran. Goodword Publication. ISBN 8178985381. 
• Yahya, Harun (2007). Atlas of Creation Volume 2. 
• Yahya, Harun (2007). Atlas of Creation Volume 3. 
• Yahya, Harun (2007). Consciousness in the Cell. ISBN 9756426713. 
• Yahya, Harun (2007). Global Impact of the Works of Harun Yahya. ISBN 9758718320. 
• Yahya, Harun (2001). Miracles of the Qur'an. Al-Attique Publishers Inc. ISBN 1894264533. 

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adnan Oktar

• Official Harun Yahya site
• Harun Yahya: Catalog of works
• Taner Edis: Harun Yahya and Islamic Creationism (2003)
• Richard Dawkins on Harun Yahya's Atlas of Creation

The Honourable Julia Gillard MP
27th Prime Minister of Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 June 2010
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Quentin Bryce
Deputy	Wayne Swan
Preceded by	Kevin Rudd
Commonwealth Chairperson-in-Office
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 October 2011
Preceded by	Kamla Persad-Bissessar
Leader of the Labor Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 June 2010
Deputy	Wayne Swan
Preceded by	Kevin Rudd
13th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia
In office 3 December 2007 – 24 June 2010
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Mark Vaile
Succeeded by	Wayne Swan
Minister for Education
In office 3 December 2007 – 28 June 2010
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Succeeded by	Simon Crean
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
In office 3 December 2007 – 28 June 2010
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Joe Hockey
Succeeded by	Simon Crean
Minister for Social Inclusion
In office 3 December 2007 – 28 June 2010
Prime Minister	Kevin Rudd
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Simon Crean
Member of the Australian Parliament for Lalor
Incumbent
Assumed office 3 October 1998
Preceded by	Barry Jones
Personal details
Born	(1961-09-29) 29 September 1961 (age 50) Barry, United Kingdom
Political party	Labor Party
Domestic partner	Tim Mathieson
Residence	The Lodge[1]
Alma mater	University of Adelaide University of Melbourne
Signature
Website	Prime Minister's website Parliamentary website ALP website

Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since 24 June 2010.

Gillard was born in Barry, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved to Melbourne. She graduated from the University of Melbourne with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees in 1986. In 1987, Gillard joined the law firm Slater & Gordon working in industrial law, before entering politics.^[2][3]

Gillard was elected at the 1998 federal election to the House of Representatives seat of Lalor, Victoria, for the Australian Labor Party. Following the 2001 federal election, Gillard was elected to the shadow cabinet with the portfolios of Population and Immigration. The Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs and the Health portfolios were added in 2003. In December 2006, Kevin Rudd was elected Labor leader and Leader of the Opposition, with Gillard as deputy leader.^[2]

Gillard became the Deputy Prime Minister upon Labor's victory in the 2007 federal election, also serving as Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. On 24 June 2010, after Rudd lost the support of his party and stood aside, Gillard became federal leader of the Australian Labor Party and thus the Prime Minister, the first female holder of the office.^[4]

The 2010 federal election saw the first hung parliament since the 1940 federal election. The incumbent Gillard Labor government was able to form a minority government with the support of an Australian Greens Member of Parliament (MP) and three independent MPs on a 76–74 margin, defeating the Liberal/National Coalition opposition led by Tony Abbott. Labor received 50.12 percent of the two-party-preferred vote.^[5][6]