Exiled from Sweden – How the Controversial Sect Thrives in England

The controversial sect left the Swedish town of Sävsjön for the UK. Former members have told The Guardian about feeling pressured to donate money. The newspaper also reports on the religion's 'soldiers', conspiracy theories, and a self-proclaimed pope.

At the end of 2023, Expressen reported on the relatively new religion, The Ahmadi religion of peace and light (AROPL), which suddenly appeared a few years ago at an old course center in Sävsjön, Hällefors municipality.

There, they established a new base for their activities.

For several years, over 100 people occasionally resided in the small forest village. However, tensions arose with neighbors, the municipality found the followers to have an 'aggressive demeanor', and authorities wanted to remove the religion, which the police labeled as a sect.

In 2022, the Migration Court issued a total of 69 deportation orders. Around the same time, the members, mainly British citizens, disappeared to the UK, where they had established another base a year earlier.

The Sect in the UK

They are still based there, in an old orphanage in Crewe, Cheshire. The Guardian, which has investigated the movement, reviewed documents, and interviewed former members, reports this.

The newspaper describes the religion as a sect that mixes Islamic theology with conspiracy theories about the secret society Illuminati and aliens. It is led by Egyptian-American and former documentary filmmaker Abdullah Hashem, who has portrayed himself as a kind of savior and rightful pope. In his book, The Goal of the Wise, he writes, according to The Guardian, that it is his followers' 'duty' to sell homes and land and donate most of their salaries to fund his mission: to create a 'divine' state.

The deportation orders in Sweden, he reportedly called racist and religious persecution, and he described the Swedish government as 'fascist' with 'a Nazi base'.

Homeschooling and Donations

In Crewe, northwestern England, around 100 AROPL members are said to live, including families who homeschool their children (which is legal in the UK). Several former members interviewed by The Guardian express concern for the children's well-being and education.

Other defectors tell the newspaper how they felt pressured to cut ties with people outside the group and were encouraged to contribute financially to the religion. One person says she handed over all the money she received for her wedding, another that he donated the equivalent of over 400,000 SEK.

The Religion: Open and Peaceful

The Guardian also writes about how the religion uses social media to recruit new members and spread its message, about men portraying themselves as leader Hashem's 'soldiers', and about a girl who claims to have been relieved of stomach pain only through laying on of hands.

The Ahmadi religion of peace and light describes itself as a peaceful and open religious movement, which has been persecuted in parts of the world due to its belief in equality and human rights.

A lawyer representing the religion tells The Guardian that members can join and leave whenever they want, that AROPL supports the UK's publicly funded healthcare system NHS, and that homeschooling is not organized by the religion.