Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light believers fled Egypt because of persecution, now persecuted in Turkey

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (not to be confused with the much larger, albeit still minuscule, Ahmadiyya movement) is a relatively new Shi’a eschatological sect. It doesn’t teach violence, but as it was founded in an Islamic milieu, this persecution was inevitable. Muhammad, says the Qur’an, is the “seal of the prophets” (33:40). As far as orthodox Sunnis are concerned, this rules out all later sects, which must be violently suppressed.

“Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light: A New Humanitarian Crisis in Türkiye,” by Massimo Introvigne and Rosita Šorytė, Bitter Winter, July 17, 2024:

In May 2023, the story of the 104 refugees of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) stuck at the Kapıkule border between Türkiye and Bulgaria, and beaten and mistreated by the Turkish police while they were trying to reach the European Union, became international news. The AROPL is a Shia-derivative new religious movement, not to be confused with the Sunni-derivative Ahmadiyya Community persecuted in Pakistan. AROPL members are also regarded as heretics in both Sunni and Shia countries, and severely persecuted.

Media attention eventually generated a United Nations statement reminding Türkiye that the AROPL refugees faced serious risks if deported and that the obligation not to send back asylum seekers to countries where they may be persecuted or killed is “absolute and non-derogable.” The international mobilization allowed sixty-seven AROPL members to leave Türkiye, while 40 remained there (37 of the original 104 plus the members of an Iraqi family who arrived later).

What happened to the latter forty devotees? They tried to scrupulously respect Turkish laws. They settled in the city of Edirne and applied for asylum in Türkiye, based on the argument that they are from Iran and Iraq (except one who is from Palestine), where being a member of AROPL means being at risk of arrest every day. Their asylum claims were registered, and they received a temporary resident permit in Türkiye. They proceeded to organize themselves to survive, as most of them had left their countries of origin in a hurry and with little money. They pooled their meager resources together and rented a house where they could live communally and take care of the most vulnerable members. Many found jobs in Edirne. For people who had lost almost everything, some hope had been reborn.

Alas, once again the AROPL members in Türkiye are at risk, On July 14, they received an order to leave Edirne and scatter to eighteen different Turkish cities within fifteen days without any housing support. If they do not comply, their residence permits will be revoked, and they may be deported back to their countries of origin (notwithstanding the United Nations’ request to Türkiye not to do it). While now accustomed to deal with AROPL as a law-abiding and hard-working community, local authorities in Edirne told them the decision was taken in the capital Ankara and that there are security reasons not to keep them gathered in a city close to the Greek and Bulgarian borders. The AROPL suspects that opposition to its religious doctrines, which have been denounced as heretic in Türkiye too, also plays a role in the decision….