The Journal of CESNUR, Volume 8, Issue 3, May—June 2024, pages 33—51. © 2024 by CESNUR. All rights reserved. ISSN: 2532-2990 | www.cesnur.net | DOI: 10.26338/tjoc.2024.8.3.2 $ The Journal of CESNUR $ The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light: An Introduction Massimo Introvigne CESNUR (Center for Studies on New Religions) maxintrovigne@gmail.com Karolina Maria Kotkowska Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland km.kotkowska@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Not to be confused with the Sunni-derivative Ahmadiyya community, the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) is a Shia-derivative new religious movement that emerged in the chaotic post-Saddam-Hussein Iraq. In 1999, Ahmed al-Hassan, a civil engineer born in 1968 in Basra, claimed to have physically met the Twelfth Imam, who had entrusted him with a special mission. Severely persecuted, his followers divided into various rival groups. The one with the largest international following, despite persecution and discrimination in various countries, is the AROPL, which recognizes al-Hassan as the Yamani, the first Mahdi and the precursor of the Qaim/Riser from the Family of Muhammad, or the second Mahdi, an eschatological figure mentioned in Islamic prophecies as the one who rises and restores justice in the world during the end times. The AROPL identifies its leader, the Egyptian American Abdullah Hashem, as the Qaim/Riser. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the AROPL is sometimes referred to as the “Black Banners,” in opposition to its main competitor among those who recognize the prophetic mission of al-Hassan, the “White Banners” whose headquarters are in Najaf, Iraq. KEYWORDS: Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, AROPL, Ahmed al-Hassan. Abdullah Hashem, Black Banners. Introduction The date was May 24, 2023. At the usually quiet border of Kapikule between Türkiye and Bulgaria screams were heard, as the Turkish police was threatening and beating 104 women, men, and children standing in line to cross the Bulgarian frontier. They were not Turkish citizens. They had reached Türkiye