Gorilla’s Guides

Messianic cults in Iraq, an increase in numbers and expansion

Baghdad, Jan. 26, (VOI) – Analysts of the situation in Iraq recognize that extremist violent Shiite groups, such as the Soldiers of Heaven and Ansar Ahmad Al-Yamani (Supporters of Ahmed Al-Yamani), began appearing in Iraq after April of 2003.

Shiite literature indicates that Al-Yamani was the individual who lay the ground for the appearance of Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Montadhar (The 12th Imam of the Imami Shiites). Sources explain that the organization of Ahmad al-Yamani is a Shiite group that calls itself Ansar Al-Mahdi (Supporters of Al-Mahdi), headed by Ahmad Bin Al-Hassan who refers to himself as Al-Yamani. 

In spite of the different names, these movements have mutual points of similarity. They are all Shiite, refuse to accept any political or religious clergy other than their leaders, they all have extremist beliefs that reject the current situation in Iraq, and they adopt violent approaches as means of changing the situation. In addition, they all try to recruit young, ignorant, socially neglected Shiites that have strong ties to the Shiite religious communities.  

A few days ago, heavy clashes erupted in the two southern Shiite cities of Basra and Nassiriya (590 km and 380 km respectively, south of Baghdad), between Iraqi armed forces and gunmen belonging to Ansar Ahmad Al-Yamani group.

Hundreds of the gunmen were killed or arrested, while tens of Iraqi militaries and civilians were either killed or wounded. This coincided with the celebrations for Ashura, an Islamic Shiite occasion, in the mid and southern parts of Iraq.

The Iraqi Minister of National Security Sherwan Al-Waeli commented on the clashes, saying “Al-Yamani’s movement claims that Imam Al-Mahdi was supposed to appear on the day of Ashura, and they had plotted to assassinate both clerics and governmental figures on that day.” The minister stated that Al-Yamani’s group “practiced peaceful activities in Iraq for years, and the government, at that time, allowed the elements of this group to operate following the principle of freedom of belief and ideology,” explaining “The Iraqi security services were successfully able to wholly eliminate the Al-Yamani group after it used violence against Iraqis.”

According to some security sources, the leader of Al-Yamani group, Ahmad bin Al-Hassan Al-Yamani, has escaped.

The personality of Ahmad bin Al-Hassan Al-Yamani remains ambiguous. He has no scientific background but has one book attributed to him, with an audiotape, and because of the simplicity of his argument in both, Shiite analysts believe that Al-Yamani might be a student that failed to complete his Islamic Shiite (Hawzawi) studies.    

The Iraqi parliamentary member of the Shiite United Iraqi Coalition (UIC) bloc, Hameed Al-Mala, said to Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) “There might be external powers that support those movements, aiming to disturb Iraq,” stressing his rejection of the claims that the Iraqi government is responsible for the manifestation of this sort of extremist belief, adding “It is important to study this dangerous phenomenon, using an accurate scientific approach, to reveal the reasons that cause it.”

Another UIC parliamentary member, Jabir Habeeb Jabir, said to VOI “There are external forces that try to exploit those movements,” adding “poor economic circumstances contribute a lot to the message of Al-Mahdawiya groups. As long as poverty increases in Iraq, that message will have greater effects on our society that experiences dramatic changes.”

Sunni parliamentary bloc, the National Dialogue Front (NDF), believes that extremist groups in the southern part of Iraq are the result of the oppression and unjust practiced by the Iraqi government; an issue that causes people there accept the idea of a revolution against oppression. Mohammed Al-Daini, a parliamentary member of the NDF told VOI while describing Al-Mahdawiya groups “Revolutionary people who wanted to create a change,” adding “it is expected that more of those movements would appear, if the government of Premier Nouri Al-Maliki continued to use wrong policies. The recent clashes in Basra and Nassiriya cities prove that the Iraqi security services failed in dealing with the critical folders.”

Some analysts attribute this phenomenon to the vague principle of the (rescuer or salvager), and the absence of any Shiite education concerning Imam Al-Mahdi, while other researchers see that poverty and bad economic circumstances in Iraq were the catalysts behind the creation of these groups.

Qassim Jabbar, an Islamic researcher, believes that studies on the Al-Mahdawiya movements are “still far beyond reaching the essence of this phenomenon,” confirming to VOI that “Al-Mahdawiya movements surfaced in Iraq after the overthrow of the former regime in April of 2003.”

According to Jabbar, “The movement of Ahmad bin Al-Hassan Al-Yamani appeared in Iraq in 2004, before other similar extremist Shiite groups, and it depends on two ideas; one being that Al-Yamani is the son of Imam Al-Mahdi, and the other is that Al-Yamani is the latest representative of Imam Al-Mahdi who will make the necessary preparations for Al-Mahdai’s appearance.”

Shiite literature shows that Imam Al-Mahdi had four representatives during the minor disappearance stage that lasted for 70 years, and after the death of the fourth representative, the stage of major disappearance, that includes no representatives, had started in the 11th century, and continued until today.

There are increasingly growing alerts of extremist Shiite groups in Baghdad and other cities in the mid part of Iraq, “Habeeb Allah Al-Mokhtar Movement that has a leader that calls for The Revolution of Divine Love,” Jabbar said to VOI, and proceeded “This group believes that all religions and sects have failed, and that there is a need to carry out a revolution that leads directly to God, and corrects the current situation.” Jabbar sees that the coming years would witness an increase in numbers and expansion in activities of Al-Mahdawiya movements in Iraq.

From his side, a researcher at the Institute of Arab Gulf Studies, who spoke to VOI on condition of anonymity, believes “Extremist Shiite movements were framed, at the mid and southern parts of Iraq, due to economic reasons,” explaining “some people feel that the Shiite parties in Iraq seized power and resources, supported by the Shiite clergy; that’s why they describe that clergy as corrupted,” adding “Those people reject democracy, and the political process as a whole, and aim to kill all the clerics who support the other direction.”

According to that researcher, in 2004, Ahmad bin Al-Hassan Al-Yamani was in Al-Sahla area that belongs to Al-Kufa suburb of Najaf province. At that time, Spanish forces had killed most of his followers there, while he escaped to Basra, where he lived in an isolated garden near to Shatal-Arab River. From there, Al-Yamani re-arranged his organization, especially in Basra and Nassiriya cities, and was able to spread his ideology, using different tools including a Web site that was recently shutdown, among poor and simple people there, despite the fact that some of the individuals who believed him are college graduates.

In 2007, as that researcher confirmed to VOI, Al-Yamani followers became very active in Basra, where they held a book fair inside a big tent that they established at the center of that city. In their books and leaflets that were distributed in that fair, Al-Yamani followers clearly said that Ahmad bin Al-Hassan Al-Yamani is the son of Imam Al-Mahdi, but neither the provincial nor the religious authorities in Basra interfered.

The researcher referred that reports say that Ahmad bin Al-Hassan Al-Yamani practices a process of brainwash on his followers, by showing them some extraordinary acts, “Perhaps he uses magic to convince people who do not believe him,” the researcher speculated.

Source: Aswat Aliraq | Messianic cults in Iraq, an increase in numbers and expansion

Indexed under: Basrah, Cults, Dhi Qar (Governorate), Diwaniyah, Mahdi, Maysan (Governorate), Poverty