Assault on Freedom: Persecution of AROPL Members in Egypt

In a nation bound by international obligations to protect freedom of religion, Egyptian authorities have waged a brutal campaign against members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), a minority faith emphasizing divine unity, compassion, and enlightenment. Between March 8 and mid-April 2025, the National Security Agency orchestrated coordinated arrests in Cairo, Giza, and the 10th of Ramadan City, targeting believers solely for their peaceful expression of faith, including hanging a small banner promoting the movement's TV channel, The Mahdi Has Appeared, and possessing religious materials.

AROPL Members in Egypt carried out their Human right to express their religious freedom, by hanging banners with the official satellite frequency of the "Mahdi Has Appeared", yet they were tracked down, abducted, disappeared, tortured and still imprisoned today after 8 months.

The crackdown began when security forces traced the banner to a Telegram group, leading to the detention of key members: Hussein Mohammed Al-Tenawi, Omar Mahmoud Abdel Maguid, and Hazem Saied Abdel Moatamed. Two Syrian UNHCR-registered asylum seekers, Ahmed and Hussein Al-Tenawi, were arrested on March 11. Ahmed endured 28 days incommunicado before unlawful deportation to Syria on April 9, defying refugee protections. Over a dozen detainees vanished into enforced disappearance for weeks, denied contact with families or lawyers despite repeated complaints.

When surfaced before the Supreme State Security Prosecution, survivors revealed horrific torture: electric shocks to genitals, severe beatings causing spinal damage and severed tendons, and deliberate medical neglect. Charged vaguely with "joining a group established in violation of the law and constitution"—a tool to suppress freedom of expression and non-state-sanctioned beliefs—lawyers from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights were barred from early interrogations. Detainees languish in the harsh 10th of Ramadan Prison, facing insufficient food, withheld treatment, and restricted visits. A 64-year-old with diabetes and kidney disease has suffered near-total vision loss, swollen limbs, and multiple comas, ignored despite urgent appeals.

These violations breach Egypt's Constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion and belief, freedom of expression and freedom from torture, as well as the ICCPR and Convention Against Torture. Renewed pre-trial detentions without independent oversight perpetuate injustice. This is part of a broader 2025 repression of religious minorities: 39 arrests targeting Shi’a, Bahá’ís, Copts, atheists, and Ahmadis for non-conforming beliefs.

Amnesty International and EIPR have condemned the campaign, issuing Urgent Actions demanding immediate unconditional release, torture investigations, access to counsel and care, and an end to religious persecution. As of late 2025, over a dozen remain detained amid deteriorating conditions.

Hadil El Khouly, Human Rights Coordinator for the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

On December 10, 2025, at AROPL Headquarters, Human Rights Outreach Coordinator Hadil El Khouly briefed members on the crisis, launching a month-long global initiative starting from December 19 to intensify pressure for justice.

Over 150 members gathered in the Hall of Mysteries at the AROPL Headquarters for the preparation and launch of this international campaign starting on December 19, 2025

Hadil gave a presentation on the case, more information will be released soon on AROPL platforms to help inform the public of the Human Rights violations and persecution that has occured at the hands of the Egyptian authorities. She also called on local members of the organization to write letters, make video testimonies and prepare for the upcoming campaign.

I myself, was proud to join in and support this campaign and am looking forward to working together hand-in-hand with all the believers and human rights organizations around the world, to put an end to this oppression and injustice and am calling for the immediate release of the innocent members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, who have committed no crime at all, but having a religious belief.

FAITH IS NOT A CRIME: Free AROPL Members in Egypt – Join the International Campaign for Justice!

The Situation: Egyptian forces arrested AROPL members between March 8 and mid-April 2025 solely for their faith, peaceful expression, and religious materials. Over a dozen remain detained after torture, disappearances, and inhumane conditions.

International Demands: Amnesty International and EIPR call on Egypt to unconditionally release detainees, investigate abuses, ensure legal and medical access, and halt persecution of all exercising freedom of religion or belief.

Take Action Now! Starting December 19, 2025, join this one-month campaign for global visibility and diplomatic pressure on the Egyptian Public Prosecutor and Egyptian embassies worldwide. Focus strictly on human rights—use Amnesty's Urgent Action language.

For more information contact humanrights@theahmadireligion.org

#FreeAROPLMembers for the monthly campaign online on all platforms.

UPDATES: AROPL Studios will work closely with the Human Rights department throughout the campaign--online, on satellite tv and on-the-ground and will also keep everyone involved in the campaign updated every step of the way. These innocent men have been suffering for eight months, we owe it to them and their families who miss them dearly and want them home, to give everything we have throughout this month and for every day it takes, until they are released and justice is repayed to them for what they have suffered from the inhumane treatment.

Every action amplifies the demand: Release the detainees. End the persecution. Faith is a human right—join today and stand for justice.