Adnan Oktar

Under the pen name Harun Yahya, Oktar's pseudoscience-laced theology reached millions. Now the televangelist has been sentenced to 1,000 years in prison, and leaves a legacy of abuse in his wake
In the end, it was not the British deep state, Darwinists, Jews, Freemasons or any of the sinister cabals that Adnan Oktar long railed against that defeated him. It was the Turkish judiciary.

On Monday, the notorious 64-year-old preacher, often referred to in salacious headlines as a "sex cult leader," was sentenced to 1,075 years in jail for crimes including sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud, and attempted political and military espionage.

It marks the end of a long and bizarre career for the preacher, television host, author and filmmaker.

He perhaps gained the most fame worldwide for his numerous texts denouncing evolution and for being one of the first Muslim thinkers to import Christian evangelical Creationism into Islamic circles. Under the pen name Harun Yahya, his book Atlas of Creation, an 800-page tome that purports to debunk evolution, has been sent out unsolicited around the world, and managed to have some success in spreading Creationist ideas beyond a purely Christian fundamentalist audience.

But behind the oft-mocked public face of Oktar's organisation was a sinister world of sexual abuse and cult-like coercion. Speaking in his defence in court, Oktar claimed to have "close to 1,000 girlfriends". He denied abusing them, instead describing himself as having an "overflowing of love for women".

By contrast, one of the women speaking (anonymously) at his trial said Oktar had sexually assaulted her and other women, often forcing them to take contraceptive pills. Around 69,000 contraceptive pills were found in his home, which he claimed in court were used to treat skin disorders and menstrual problems.

"He's an evil person who destroyed many lives of very bright young men with great potential," he told Middle East Eye.

'If you shot it as a movie, they would say it's too exaggerated'

On Wednesday, Ebru Simsek, a former member of Oktar's organisation who claimed she was subjected to abuse, told Turkish media that she was happy that justice had been done.

"Adnan Oktar saw me on the screen and went crazy! He even said, 'I saw you in the newspaper, on TV, I liked it very much, take your pajamas and live with me in my wonderful mansion'," she told Posta.

"'Come here, I will offer you the best conditions, you will wear the best brands, your life will be luxurious'. I felt that they had nothing to do with religion."

Kittens

In 2011, Oktar founded a TV station, A9 TV, which broadcast both over the internet and on Turkish cable networks.

The channel, apart from hosting a number of documentaries based on Oktar's works, would become his main platform for broadcasting the preacher's unique brand of televangelism.

Muslim televangelists had been around for many years and were nothing new, but Oktar's method of presentation certainly was.

His shows featured a host of young women, who would discuss current affairs and religious issues with Oktar, as well as dancing to pop music in between segments. It was certainly unprecedented in the world of Islamic televangelism.

Oktar repeatedly used Islamic justifications for the unusual appearance of his co-hosts, who seemed dressed for the nightclub rather than a religious sermon. Dispensing with "modest" clothing didn't make them any less Muslim, he said.