Two Suspensions, One Pattern
How Meta Silences Dissent to Protect a Digital Cult
On June 4, 2025, I, Wahid Azal — an independent author, philosopher, and public intellectual — was suspended from Facebook shortly after sharing a public link to my newly published monograph, The Goal of the Unwise. This book, freely hosted on Archive.org and catalogued by the National Library of Australia, is a scholarly exposé of a messianic cult-like organization known as the Ahmadi Religion of Light and Peace (ARLOP).
The pretext given for my suspension was a vague “violation of cybersecurity standards.” But I had committed no breach, no spam, no hate speech, no impersonation. I posted my work — publicly accessible, non-commercial, and well within the bounds of academic freedom — and was promptly removed.
Then It Happened Again
On June 5, my friend Salman Sheikh — an independent digital content creator — published a video on both his YouTube and TikTok accounts defending me and calling attention to Meta’s unexplained censorship. Within hours, his account was also suspended.
After submitting a video selfie, Salman’s account was reinstated. But here’s the part that confirms everything: only the posts linking to my book and the associated petition were removed. The rest of his account was untouched.
This wasn’t a mistake. It was a message.
A Pattern Emerges
Two individuals. Two suspensions. The same topic: ARLOP. The same platform: Meta. The same outcome: targeted silencing of specific content.
This is not algorithmic coincidence — it is the unmistakable fingerprint of a protected ideological operation using platform privilege to stifle dissent.
What Is ARLOP?
The Ahmadi Religion of Light and Peace presents itself as a messianic, post-Islamic spiritual movement. But closer scrutiny reveals:
Doctrinal theft and esoteric mimicry of prior mystical traditions
Cult-like hierarchy and authoritarian communication patterns
Hyper-modern digital strategy geared toward infiltration of online discourse
The evidence strongly suggests ARLOP is not an organic religious group, but a synthetic ideological startup — potentially protected or promoted by powerful interests. Meta’s actions make this harder to dismiss.
Meta’s Bias and Allegiances
Meta’s platform moderation is no stranger to bias:
Its Trust & Safety teams have employed dozens of former Israeli military and intelligence personnel in content policy roles.
It has routinely complied with Israeli government takedown requests, disproportionately targeting Arabic and Islamic content.
Palestinian and dissident Muslim voices have long accused Meta of invisible suppression.
So when Meta silences two unrelated individuals in 48 hours for merely critiquing a digital “religion” with messianic overtones and growing reach — we must ask:
Is ARLOP being protected by state-aligned interests? Is Meta helping suppress critique of a state-backed ideological experiment?
What We Demand
This is no longer just about me or Salman. It is about the weaponization of platforms to silence critique, destroy accountability, and allow ideological startups — possibly with state actors behind them — to grow unchecked.
We call for:
Immediate reinstatement of all removed content
Full transparency from Meta on the basis of both suspensions
An independent investigation into ideological favoritism in platform moderation
International human rights scrutiny of Meta’s role in enabling such suppression
We will not be silenced.
Wahid Azal [Goal of the Unwise]
[wahidazal66@gmail.com]