- “Turkey in general is cheaper in printing sector.”
- “We do not have any financial support from any other country. But we’d love to, and we would not reject that. People think that Saudi Arabia is behind this. But unfortunately not. They are still not aware of the importance of our intellectual struggle. If they were aware, they would definitely support our methods.”
- “‘by the hand of God’ means that we are small in number but very influential with the help of God. We believe that this is happening because of our sincere belief in Allah, and we are not expecting any recompense in this world. Bigger religious groups have not achieved this.”
- “In general, our financial accounts have been checked by the official institutions and were cleared several times. Please see here.”
- “A few days ago, a school from Florida made a huge book order for their educational curriculum like many others before. So the number does not only include solitary readers but also educational institutions.”
- “In Indonesia, the president is recommending that his people read Harun Yahya books.”

Friends of mine have confirmed that the books are clearly sold at below production costs also. But whether the books are subsidized or not doesn’t change the fact of their importance.

But one way or another, the books are in generous circulation. They are plentiful in Islamic bookstores around the world. The Atlas of Creation is clearly at the rhetorical center of Oktar’s recent campaigns, suggesting that he puts a great deal of emphasis on the power of print. There are dramatized photos of Oktar writing and reading his books, but I’ve yet to see one of him proudly perusing his website. This isn’t to say that the web isn’t an extremely important part of his efforts—your paper does a fantastic job of showing that it is.

Perhaps Yahya’s most important outreach effort (see, for instance, how people describe him in cursory news articles) is through the Atlas of Creation, a massive book which he physically sent to thousands (I’m told over 150,000) for free around the world. This is obviously a massively expensive operation, and GP tells me that the book sales are considerable enough to cover the costs for it.

I think this assumption is problematic too. The books are printed on art paper and everybody not affilated to Harun Yahya’s following agrees that they are sold at a price below the production costs.

For example, “Yahudilik ve Masonluk” (Judaism and freemasonry) at the moment his bestseller in Turkey is sold for YTL 22,-, whereas Iletisim, one of Turkey’s most renowned publishing houses sells Orhan Pamuk’s “Kar” (Snow) on average paper quality and in small size for the same price. This seems also to be the standard price for historical studies of about 400 pp. The paperback version of the volume “Sol” (The Left”) in the internationally acclaimed series on political thought in modern Turkey is sold for YTL 66,- (almost 1400 pp but a larger format). Just to give an idea about book prices in Turkey.

In an upcoming article, I will emphasize the aesthetic impact of the books, which often have dramatic illustrations and full color, glossy pages. Also, a growing part of Yahya’s effort involves traveling exhibitions of fossils, often invited by Muslim student societies in Western universities.

Perhaps Yahya’s most important outreach effort (see, for instance, how people describe him in cursory news articles) is through the Atlas of Creation, a massive book which he physically sent to thousands (I’m told over 150,000) for free around the world. This is obviously a massively expensive operation, and GP tells me that the book sales are considerable enough to cover the costs for it.

I think you’re right to point out the online side of his effort, which is very considerable—and in fact your findings are of great use to me. But for quite some time Yahya has made his presence felt strongly in Islamic bookstores and, most recently, by mailing copies of the Atlas to lots and lots of influential people who would otherwise never know about him or bother to find him on the internet.