Dijitalleşme Çağında Şiî-İmâmî Mehdici Söylemin Yeni Bir Dine Evrilmesi Ahmedi Barış ve Nur Dini

TL;DR

The paper traces how the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light emerged from Imami Shiʿi Mahdism through Ahmed al-Hasan and Abdullah Hashim, and by 2022 declared itself a new religion separate from Islam. It argues the movement is best classified as a millenarian New Religious Movement with syncretic beliefs and a digital-media-driven global spread.

Key findings

• The movement began in the post-Gulf War Iraqi Shiʿi milieu: Ahmed al-Hasan claimed contact with the Hidden Imam and was seen as the *yemani*/first Mahdi; after his 2007 occultation, Abdullah Hashim formed the “Black Banners,” claimed in 2015 to be the Qaʾim-Mahdi, and in 2022 declared the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light a new religion.
• Its core doctrines include the Seven Divine Covenants, reincarnation (*tenasüh*), and the Divine Just State; its scripture is *The Goal of the Wise* / *Bilgenin Gayesi*, and it alters practices such as the *shahada* (“el-Mehdi Huccetullah”), basilica instead of mosque, solar Ramadan fixed in December, Kaaba located in Petra, prayer as heart prostration, headscarf not obligatory, and alcohol permitted within limits.
• The paper reports estimates of about 7,000–15,000 members globally, activities in 40 countries, about 300 living together at the Manchester center, 20–30 members in Turkey, Instagram followers at 68.8k and Facebook at 1.3k, and the 2023 detention of about 100 members at the Kapıkule border.
• Digital media is central: online platforms, an accessible leader as “influencer,” and a loyalty video to Abdullah Hashim for joining; persecution is presented as a human rights problem, and the group has sought recognition as an independent religion, including in Europe.

Methods

• Descriptive method, aiming for objectivity, based on primary sources: AROPL’s *The Goal of the Wise* / *Bilgenin Gayesi*, *The Mahdi’s Manifesto*, official websites and social media, blogs, human rights reports, and the rare academic study by Introvigne and Kotkowska.
• Data were obtained through research conducted at George Mason University under TÜBİTAK 2219 International Research Scholarship, project no. 1059B192202209.
• Analysis is textual and descriptive rather than quantitative, reconstructing the movement’s history, theology, rituals, spread, and digital strategies.

Limitations

• Stated by the paper: the religion is very new and still developing; its doctrinal system has become increasingly Abdullah Hashim-centered; contradictions and gaps in its own sources forced the author to develop interpretations; academic interest is limited, with mostly non-depth human rights reports and confusion with the Ahmadiyya community.
• Stated by the paper: exact membership numbers are difficult to determine, and the 7,000–15,000 global estimate is based on websites, social media images, and rare outside sources.
• Evident from the text: heavy reliance on the movement’s own sources and websites, with social media follower counts not necessarily indicating believers, and Turkey/global membership figures presented as tentative estimates.