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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Maeve McClenaghan and David Pegg

‘Dad, imam, God’: children living with self-declared pope in former UK orphanage

United Kingdom maeve United States Crewe Sweden TikTok
Abdullah Hashem at podium in black with black beanie and religious-type figure painted in background
The sect, led by Abdullah Hashem, above, blends Islamic theology with conspiracy theories. Photograph: The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light/YouTube

A religious sect, whose leader claims to be the new pope and whose followers say he can make the moon disappear, is operating out of a former orphanage in Crewe, Cheshire, where at least a dozen children are being home schooled.

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) was founded by Abdullah Hashem, a former documentary maker turned self-proclaimed “saviour of mankind” who uses YouTube and TikTok to proselytise to potential recruits.

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