ADNAN OKTAR: For instance, I would not accept someone as being in charge if they were a Christian.

ADNAN OKTAR: I would vote for someone else. Why should I vote for him? That is democracy, the right to choose, isn’t it?

ADNAN OKTAR: So I would vote for another party. That is also their right. They may not let a Muslim become head of state in their own country. That is perfectly natural, because a Muslim will rule in the light of his own beliefs, and since that will inevitably conflict with their own beliefs, they will not vote for him, but will go and vote for someone else. There is nothing odd or shameful about that. Everyone wants to live freely and easily by his own beliefs. And he wants the appropriate climate for that to emerge.

PRESENTER: That is the real question, isn’t it? In order for everyone to live by his own beliefs, these matters are affairs of state should not be mixed up. There are Armenians in this country and Alawites, and is not democracy essential in order for these people to worship as they wish? For example, if Sunni belief is imposed on Alawites and Armenians, this is not democratic, is it?

ADNAN OKTAR: I am more protective of the Alawites even than you. You can rest easy on that.

PRESENTER: I am not jumping to their defense. I do not want to discriminate against anyone.

ADNAN OKTAR: No, I love the Alawites. It would be a sin and a shame to clash with their beliefs. Imposition is incompatible with human honor. They want to set up their own places of worship. Go ahead, we must say. So what? There is no need for them even to ask. Of course they will put them up.

PRESENTER: They build them, but they do not have legal status. Is that not a bit backward?

ADNAN OKTAR: I am not the head of state. I am just a citizen.

PRESENTER: I am asking for your opinion.

ADNAN OKTAR: I’d never accept that. I am delighted when my citizens, my friends and brothers live at ease. Let Bektashis live by their own beliefs as they wish. I will be delighted then. Let Alawites live by their own beliefs as they wish. I will be delighted then. When I see any pressure on Alawites, I am 10 times unhappier even than they are. When the leftists are pressurized, I am 10 times unhappier than they are. I dislike it. I cannot say, “What a good thing”. It distresses me to see it. I become very uneasy when I see such things on the television. I want everyone to live in peace and to live by their own beliefs sincerely. Imposition is an infuriating thing, a very bad thing. The important thing is for people not to harm one another, not to insult or physically attack one another. Otherwise, let them be as free as the birds. Of course they will be comfortable.

PRESENTER: What I meant was, when only one idea is espoused, all other ideas are in a way rather disparaged.

ADNAN OKTAR: No. You can have a Sunni prime minister and wonderful freedom for Alawites. There would be no problem. Christians are very free, for instance. They go and worship in their churches, and that is the model of our Prophet (saas). There is complete democracy in Islam. There is no interference in people’s beliefs, as that is utterly humiliating. It is not something religion can accept. Almighty Allah says in the Qur’an that various faiths exist, doesn’t He? There are Sahabbeans, Christians, Jews and pagans. Look, Muslims have a duty to protect the lives of pagans. They have a duty to risk their own lives to protect them, to protect people who worship idols, as they go from one place to another. Because they are innocent, stick to their own beliefs and do not bother anyone else. That is how Allah has created them. Allah says there will be pagans. We can only strive against them on the level of ideas, of thoughts. But an Alawite can freely describe his own thoughts and ideas, and there is much that is good about Alawism. All ideas have their good sides. No idea is entirely bad. There may be many good sides to them.