ADNAN OKTAR: "Good evening, I am writing to you from Gaziantep." Gaziantep, the home of heroes. "I watched your program for the first time yesterday. I am watching again today, and am trying to understand you. But I have only just begun to understand you" he says. "I saw a cross around a lady's neck," he says. My brother, this is a non-Muslim sister, so be fair.. What do you want us to do, remove the chain from her neck? With that mentality, we will end up attacking churches.. That is out of the question. That is a matter of her personal belief, in the same way you wear a crescent on your lapel, or a moon and star; according to her belief, she thinks of it as something symbolizing her faith. We would respect that, it is perfectly normal, insha'Allah. All the tourists, all the ones in Beyazit, etc., they all wear them around their necks. Do you expect us to go round lifting them off, one by one? Do you want us to snatch them off? Right? You are to overthrow the meaning that the cross constitutes. But you cannot get anywhere by tearing it off or casting it down. Strive against the belief in the Trinity. There is nothing wrong with leaving the cross if you eliminate belief in the Trinity. You can leave it as two bars, there is nothing wrong in that. But of course, what is meant in the accounts that states; "the Jesus Messiah would overthrow the cross when he comes," is this; it means that he will be eliminating that belief. Otherwise one would also have to smash all windows. As there is a wood like this and another one like this in all the windows at our homes, right? So there would be no glass or frames or anything left in the neighborhoods, in the houses. You see the "plus" sign wherever you look. So you should therefore tear up all mathematical textbooks by that logic as they all contain "plus" signs. It is the lifting of the idolatrous symbol they express that matters. Right? Insha'Allah. "Master, how can I take a non-Muslim as a friend?" he asks. You can be friends in this world. How can you preach the religion without making friends? The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will preach. But do you expect him to preach as an enemy? Did Our Prophet, the Messenger of Allah (saas) go and attack Christians? He befriended them, he had them as his friends in the life of this world. What is the sign of friendship? He took off his frock and spread it on the ground for them to sit on. The Messenger of Allah (saas) showed respect to them. So you would have to say he was "wrong." But you can't, because he was right. Because that is what our Prophet (saas) did. What we are doing is just the same as what our Prophet (saas) did. He spread it out before them and then told them of the Oneness of Allah. First he becomes friends of this world with them. He makes them love him and he starts talking once he has done that. Would they have listened to his talk if they were enemies? What you are saying, young man from Gaziantep, is "I want to talk as an enemy." Nobody will talk to you as an enemy. You must be friends of this world. In fact, if I were to go and investigate, I would find out that either your brother is irreligious or your father or some other relative. You go and embrace them or go dance with them at a wedding. Or whatever else you do with them, I don't know. You toast them with a glass of raki in your hand. Then you come and try to give me a piece of your mind. We cannot tell people about Islam without creating affection in their hearts. While you talk to them, you cannot preach unless you become friends of this world with them. You were about to destroy Islam by becoming enemies with everyone, may Allah forbid. You were about to do that but we stopped you. I mean, I consider all present companies excluded, it might sound a bit offensive, but this is completely the mentality of bigotry.  Don't do this. Being a friend in this world is one thing, and a friend in the faith, in Islam, is another. Being brothers in religion is one thing, and brothers in this world another. You can talk and explain as a brother in this world. For instance, those ladies come here and I constantly give them books. I give them books every day and I talk to them every day and their hearts get warmed up towards Islam. But with that bigoted mindset of yours, is it even possible for you to give those books to these people? Is it even possible for you to approach them? Is it possible for them to feel warm about Islam? Are you really that  loggerhead, are you really that dunce? Right? "What did our Prophet (saas) do?" He went to their feasts and to their funerals. He stood up when their coffins were carried past and spread his frock out for them to sit on. He showed respect and then talked about Islam. That is good manners. That is how Islam is preached.

ADNAN OKTAR:How did they bring those youngsters up? What kind of mindset is this? I cite our Prophet (saas) as a model. He cannot say that there is something wrong in it; but still espouses the exact opposite. Did our Prophet (saas) spread his frock out, and have the Christians sit on it, have the Jews sit on it, and talk to them? He did. Is that right? Yes, it is. And what are you talking about? You are talking about something completely different. Can one marry a Christian? One can marry the People of the Book. Can one marry a Jew, a Jewish woman? One can also marry a Christian woman. Did the Qur'an, the book of Allah gives us permission about this? Allah had shown this as the right path, there are verses for that. So should I believe you, or the Qur'an? I believe in the Qur'an. Allah says we can eat their food. Can one eat the food of an enemy, of someone one is hostile toward? Right? This is a really strange mindset. They were trying to destroy the religion through bigotry, but we have stopped them. With our being instrumental, people are able to proudly live by Islam. Even that state of relaxation you have my brother from Antep, is through the means we have prepared for you. Khey would have smothered you, you would not even be able to breathe.. Read them to us, so that young fellow can understand.

ALTUĞ BERKER:Insha'Allah.  I am putting this on the screen as well.

-Some Examples of Our Prophet's (saas) Affection and Compassion toward the People of the Book -

"The Najrani Christians came to Medina in the afternoon and entered the al-Nabawi Mosque. The Christians arrived when the Prophet (saas) and his Companions were still performing the afternoon prayer and turned to the east and prepared to pray themselves. Some Companions wanted to stop them praying, but our Prophet (saas) commanded that they should be left alone and allowed to pray.

"During the visit of the Najrani Christians the Prophet Muhammed (saas) spread out his frock and told them to sit on it."

There are accounts of Rasulullah (saas) personally attending feasts of the People of the Book, visiting their sick and giving them presents.

Our Prophet (saas) had the following statement written in the treaty he has had the Christian Ibn Haris bin Kab and his people prepare; "The faith, churches, lives, honor and goods of all Christians living in the east and west are under the protection of Allah, the Prophet (saas) of Allah and all believers, insha'Allah". So these are under the protection of believers; the faith, churches, lives, honor and property of the people of the Book.

ADNAN OKTAR: Well my brother, they do not say I know it wrong, but they keep on talking out loud about it. That is no good. You have to say, "You are wrong, your sources are wrong," but they don't and can't. In that case, tell me [if you can] "there is no such verse." Look, Almighty Allah says, "You can marry Christian women." From the People of the Book. He says, "You can also marry Jewish women." And what do you say? You regard these people almost as devils. You must act according to the Qur'an. Isn't that right? You must act according to the Sunna.

ALTUĞ BERKER: Muslim also describes how our Prophet (saas) rose to his feet when the funeral procession of a Jewish woman passed by, insha'Allah.

ADNAN OKTAR:Muslim, sahih-i Muslim?

ALTUĞ BERKER: Yes, insha'Allah.

ADNAN OKTAR:  Here you are.. So come and say that this; "this hadith is wrong"? You talk about hating people. But our Prophet (saas) rose to his feet out of respect for the funeral procession. Not even for the individual, but for the funeral. Think about it.. And he spreads his frock out for them to sit on. And look at what you are saying..