HRC 61 Item 9 Systematic Religious Persecution: The Case of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt

HRC 61 Item 9 Systematic Religious Persecution: The Case of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt

This statement condemns the arbitrary detention and torture of Egypt’s Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light members. Since March 2025, systematic persecution, enforced disappearances, and denial of legal rights have occurred. We urge the UN to investigate these grave violations and demand Egyptian authorities immediately release the victims to uphold international human rights obligations and end religious intolerance.

HRC 61 Written Statement : Arbitrary Detention, Enforced Disappearance, Torture, Prolonged Pre-Trial Detention, and Religious Coercion of Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt

HRC 61 Written Statement : Arbitrary Detention, Enforced Disappearance, Torture, Prolonged Pre-Trial Detention, and Religious Coercion of Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Egypt

Human Right Without Frontiers, International Support for Human Rights and CAP Liberté de Conscience has submitted a joint written statement to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-first session addressing the grave and systematic violations of freedom of religion or belief perpetrated against members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) in Egypt. Since March 2025, Egyptian authorities have detained numerous peaceful adherents of this religious minority solely for expressing their beliefs and possessing religious materials, subjecting them to arbitrary arrest, enforced disappearance lasting over a month, torture, and prolonged pre-trial detention exceeding ten months without trial. The statement documents severe violations including electric shocks, beatings, denial of legal counsel, inhumane prison conditions, and crucially, organized religious coercion through visits by Al-Azhar-affiliated sheikhs explicitly aimed at forcing detainees to renounce their faith. CAP Liberté de Conscience calls upon the Egyptian Government to immediately and unconditionally release all detained AROPL members, investigate torture and enforced disappearances by security forces, end the misuse of pre-trial detention, guarantee fair-trial rights and access to legal representation, and cease all forms of religious coercion in violation of Egypt’s international human rights obligations.

Peaceful Protest in Geneva for Religious Freedom and Solidarity with the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

Peaceful Protest in Geneva for Religious Freedom and Solidarity with the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

Geneva, Switzerland—December 20, 2024: On December 20, adherents of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light from across French-speaking countries in Europe will gather in Geneva to peacefully protest the ongoing persecution of members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Jordan. This demonstration of solidarity aims to shed light on the grave injustices faced by Ahmadi communities in Muslim-majority countries and to demand accountability from Jordanian authorities for the violation of religious freedom.

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) community in Malaysia facing escalating persecution and discrimination

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) community in Malaysia facing escalating persecution and discrimination

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) expresses deep outrage over the recent sentencing and arrests of its followers in Malaysia, underscoring the escalating persecution faced by the community. On October 22, 2024, the Sharia High Court in Negeri Sembilan handed down a six-month prison sentence and a fine of RM4,500 to Zolekafeli Bin Abd Ghani, a 60-year-old retired firefighter, for allegedly teaching “false doctrines.” Zolekafeli was charged for proclaiming his belief in Aba Al-Sadiq, the leader of the faith, and for stating that the Quran had been corrupted. Despite pleas for leniency due to his age, health, and family obligations, the court imposed consecutive sentences, citing the risk of “apostasy and disbelief.”

57th Session Human Rights Council Hears Alarming Report on Persecution of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light  in Jordan

57th Session Human Rights Council Hears Alarming Report on Persecution of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Jordan

During the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting there was a discussion, about the challenges Ahmadi Religion of Peace members are enduring in Jordan due to persecution issues discussed in a report presented there recently by Christine Mirre, director CAP Freedom of Conscience who emphasized the difficult situation of six Ahmadis currently undergoing trial over accusations of “heresy,” which poses a serious threat, to their basic human rights.

HRC 57 Oral Statement Jordan: Six members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light to be tried as heretics

HRC 57 Oral Statement Jordan: Six members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light to be tried as heretics

We are deeply concerned about the arrest in Jordan in late July of six members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, a new religious movement founded 25 years ago.

They were just distributing in public in Amman flyers which simply described traditions related to the appearance of Imam Mahdi.

They were detained in unhuman conditions, mice and rats infesting their cells. They were released on bail after about three weeks of detention. But they were forced to pledge a payment of 70,000 US Dollars, should they ever publicly express or propagate again their religion.

HRC 57 Written statement Jordan: Six Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light to Be Tried as Heretics

HRC 57 Written statement Jordan: Six Members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light to Be Tried as Heretics

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is a small community in Jordan that faces ongoing challenges, including harassment from authorities, threats of violence, and exclusion from society due to their divergent beliefs from traditional Muslim views. Their beliefs include that the real Kaaba is in Petra, Jordan rather than Mecca, that prophets made mistakes, that fixed prayer times are unnecessary, and that alcohol can be consumed moderately. They also accept LGBTQ people in their community.

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