The Religion of Peace and Light, also known as Ahmadiyya or AROPL, is registered, among other places, with the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Its leader is a 43-year-old Muslim (Sunni) born to a Muslim father and an American Christian mother. In 2022, Abdullah Hashem published “The Goal of the Sages” (Ghayah al-Hakeem). “The Goal of the Sages” became the gospel of Ahmadiyya, and the publication has been translated into many languages. This new religious doctrine is a mixture of elements of Shiism, Islamic esotericism, Christian Gnosticism, mysticism and conspiracy theories.
The movement presents Abdullah Hashem as the messiah (Qā’im) and a spiritual guide. In this way, it redefines the role of the prophet after Muhammad and introduces a new spiritual authority outside the traditional Islamic scholarly community.
Followers believe in the transmigration of souls or reincarnation. Unlike Islam, the religion allows alcohol consumption, but in moderation. Followers do not consider the hijab mandatory attire for women and tolerate LGBTQ+ people, who may join the religion. They also reject the theory of evolution and believe that extraterrestrial beings inhabited Earth before the time of Adam.
Followers of Ahmadiyya are persecuted as heretics in Islamic countries because of their liberal teachings—such as the belief that the hijab is not mandatory—and for including the LGBTQ+ community in the movement.
How did followers of Ahmadiyya come to Bolesławiec in Lower Silesia?
It is possible that this is the result of U.S. soldiers being stationed in our area. In the United States, the new religious movement is registered as an organization in Reno, Nevada (in Europe, it is registered only in the United Kingdom). It is also possible that it is the influence of people from outside Europe who came to work.
The posters that appeared on lamp posts in Bolesławiec also contain a QR code leading to a website with videos about this new religion, where people are encouraged to donate money.