On May 30, 2023, AROPL Human Rights Coordinator Hadil El-Khouly urgently appealed to the EU Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, to intervene and save the lives of over 100 refugees stranded at the Bulgarian border by granting them humanitarian visas. Her plea came in the wake of escalating persecution and human rights abuses against members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, including arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances, and discrimination.
Prominent human rights organizations such as Human Rights without Frontiers and the European Federation of Freedom and Belief rallied behind our persecuted members, endorsing AROPL's open letter to the French embassy urging the issuance of humanitarian visas.
It was one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the history of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light - with hundreds of its members being stranded and detained in a Muslim-majority nation - without the right to practice their faith.
Fortunately, ever since the long-awaited release of the 104 in September 2023, 77 persecuted members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) have sought refuge and successfully claimed asylum in Europe. Among them, 41 were part of the group that endured hardship in Edirne, Turkey.
An enclave of safety in Spain
Two AROPL asylum seekers who have found refuge in Spain are Khireddine Ahmane and Cherif Mohamed Ali, both of whom were imprisoned in Algeria for over four months in 2022 and have been recognized as victims of religious persecution by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
Cherif's wife was pregnant when he received his prison sentence for "mocking Islam and the rituals of Islam," as per Article 144 of the Algerian Penal Code.
Most of her term he spent in detention, without the ability to experience the pregnancy of his firstborn. Today, Cherif, his wife, and their one-year-old son have found sanctuary in Barcelona, where he cherishes every moment with his family. "I appreciate my freedom and the ability to freely speak about my religion," says Cherif.
One significant accusation leveled against Cherif and Khireddine was their background in cinematography. The religious material they had edited on their computer was deemed "heretical" by the Algerian state, leading to their lengthy prison sentences. Today, Cherif and Khireddine enjoy documenting their missionary activities on social media and in the streets of Spain, free from the fear of repercussions.
The believers in Spain cultivate a community inspired by Jesus' words, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Without the fear of arrest and persecution lingering over their heads, Khireddine and his wife regularly meet with Jintana Wangkulum and Somsak Jensen to worship in congregation. Together they watch and discuss the lectures of Aba Al-Sadiq, read the Goal of the Wise and meditate. In Thailand, Somsak faced several days of detention after publicly advocating the teachings of Aba Al-Sadiq. During their time in Edirne, he was imprisoned alongside his 5-year-old daughter Adilah, who suffered from severe weight loss and malnutrition in the detention center. The regular meetings in Spain provide him with a sense of belonging and community. He has finally found a place where he can practice his religion without fear.
Another heartbreaking case of persecution is that of Phatmalek, a 72-year-old Thai man who suffers from several health conditions. Not only was he persecuted for his faith in his home country of Thailand, but he was also detained in Turkey as part of the group of 104 for five months. During his time in detention, the Turkish Gendarme's medical negligence nearly cost him his life. Today, Phatmalek is among the AROPL members who have found safety in Spain. He resides in an asylum facility in the heart of Algeciras, where he finally receives the medical care he needs. His grandson, Kodakk Lin, reports, "He is slowly recovering from the conditions in the Turkish detention center."
Azeri Brotherhood in Europe
32 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light have lodged asylum claims in Poland and Germany. A large number of them are from Azerbaijan, where many of them were detained, questioned and severely beaten by the National Crime Agency and Intelligence Services. Missionary works in the name of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light are criminalized under article 167 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code which prohibits the production or distribution of religious material without prior permission.
To be able to spread the glad tidings of Imam Mahdi's appearance, a fundamental aspect of their faith, Azeri believers like Hikmet Gahmanov, Alimammad Maharramov, and Beyrak Muradov were compelled to flee their homeland. Hikmet Gahmanov recalls harrowing experiences during his detention by the Azerbaijani Intelligence Service: “A group of guards took me after one interrogation away from the cameras to the bathroom and beat me severely, saying ‘you deserve to be killed. You are an apostate.’”
Today, Beyrak and Hikmet manage an Instagram channel disseminating the teachings of Aba Al-Sadiq in Azeri Turkish to over 70,000 followers. They are enthusiastic about their missionary work online and on the streets of Poland. “The brothers and I translated the Goal of the Wise into Turkish and Azeri. And my YouTube channel now has more than 2.7k subscribers,” Hikmet Gahmanov shares with excitement.
Fatima Nematzde from Azerbaijan was the youngest member of the AROPL detained in Edirne, Turkey. She was only eleven months old when she and her mother Arzu Nematzde were separated from her father for five months and arbitrarily detained in horrendous conditions. Before the intervention of several human rights organizations, the Turkish Gendarmerie refused to provide milk to the infant and subjected the mother to conditions that led to her having a seizure and falling unconscious. Today Arzu, Senan and Fatima share a small apartment with other believers in Greece, where they wait for their asylum interview. Today, Arzu, Senan, and Fatima reside in a modest apartment with other believers in Greece, awaiting their asylum interviews. They are grateful for the support they have found among fellow believers and for the opportunity to finally lead a normal life. “Fatima is still recovering from the traumatizing conditions in the Turkish detention center,” says Arzu.
A Jordanian family in Greece
In Athens, Basir Al-Sokour, a Jordanian national and former military officer, is preparing for his asylum interview. His military background has made him a target of the Jordanian intelligence services, who viewed his conversion from Sunni Islam to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light as treasonous. The Jordanian services harassed, questioned and threatened him - following him all the way to Turkey. He was pursued to Turkey, where he faced further mistreatment, including being blindfolded and beaten by the Turkish Gendarmerie during his detention in Edirne as part of the 104. Now, he and 13 other members of the faith have successfully lodged their claim for international protection in Greece. Two of them are his brothers Omar and Ahmed - who themselves were arbitrarily detained in the Headquarters of the Jordanian Intelligence for several days. Since arriving in Greece, Basir has used Facebook to preach the teachings of Aba Al-Sadiq, with his live streams attracting hundreds of Arabic-speaking believers. In Jordan, such missionary activities would lead to his immediate arrest.
The success of the 77 persecuted members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is a beacon of hope for all believers that are till today forced to hide their faith in Muslim majority countries like Iran, Iraq, Malaysia or Turkey. It exemplifies that a life in safety for the supporters of Imam Al-Mahdi is possible. Yet it also reminds us that our struggle is not over yet. AROPL and its members will not rest, until not a single supporter of Aba Al-Sadiq is detained, tortured, mistreated or discriminated against because of his beliefs.
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