Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq,
Jan. 1, 2025 By AimanAbir18plus –
Own work, CC BY 4.0, Wikipedia
THE “GET JOE OUT OF AMERICA” CAMPAIGN AND THE EARLY CONSOLIDATION OF THE HASHEM STUDIOS MOVEMENT (2011)
Introduction
Archived material from the Hashem Studios Board provides a rare insight into how the early Yamani movement functioned before the formation of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL).
One particularly revealing document is the May 2011 forum thread entitled “Get Joe Out of America Campaign!”, preserved in the Internet Archive.
At first glance, the discussion appears to be a simple fundraising effort to help a community member travel abroad. However, a closer examination reveals something more significant. The campaign demonstrates how apocalyptic beliefs, charismatic authority, communal financing, and physical relocation were already being combined into a practical mechanism for consolidating followers around Abdullah Hashem years before AROPL was formally established.
Archive Source:
https://web.archive.org/web/20111021104412/http://hashemstudios-board.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4208
The Context: A Community Preparing for the End Times
The campaign was launched by forum member “Laila_Ali_123” on 2 May 2011.
The purpose was to raise money to help Joseph McGowen leave the United States and travel to Egypt where Abdullah Hashem was based.
The justification was not merely financial hardship.
Instead, the campaign was framed within an apocalyptic worldview.
The opening post states:
“With the Madrid Fault line playing on peoples minds, things are going to get really hard for American’s as it is and I think we all know travelling abroad is going to get harder and harder.”
The post continues:
“Time is ticking. But we got to start coming up with ideas to help in this cause.”
This language is significant because it demonstrates that members were not simply discussing end-times events as theological possibilities.
They were making practical life decisions based upon those expectations.
The anticipated New Madrid earthquake, economic collapse, social breakdown, and the rise of a police state were repeatedly discussed throughout Hashem Studios productions during this period.
The campaign therefore represents an attempt to act upon those beliefs.
America as “Dajjal Country”
One of the most striking aspects of the discussion is the language used to describe the United States.
The campaign repeatedly frames America as the territory of the Dajjal.
Laila writes:
“I want to thank you all for the participation in this campaign to try and get our brother out of the Dajjal country.”
Joseph later expands on this idea:
“Why do I need to leave so bad, so quickly? Not only the massive flooding going on, and the madrid quake that is coming, not only the police state, or the depression coming, or being surrounded by dajaal.”
This is important because it reveals the movement’s worldview.
The outside world is not presented as spiritually neutral.
Instead, it is increasingly portrayed as a dangerous environment controlled by forces associated with the Dajjal.
By contrast, movement members are encouraged to move closer to the perceived center of truth.
This creates a classic insider-outsider dynamic.
The world outside the movement becomes associated with deception and danger.
The movement becomes associated with safety and salvation.
The Centrality of Abdullah Hashem
The campaign was officially presented as helping Joseph relocate.
However, Joseph himself repeatedly explains that the true purpose was to join Abdullah Hashem.
He writes:
“I believe my purpose is with my brother Abdullah, and that I need to be there with him in these times.”
This statement is highly revealing.
The relocation was not merely geographical.
It was relational.
The destination mattered because Abdullah Hashem was there.
The movement’s center of gravity was already forming around him.
Later, after the campaign succeeded, Joseph wrote:
“It is a true blessing being back with my brother Abdullah.”
This demonstrates a pattern that would become increasingly visible in later years.
Followers were not merely gathering around a doctrine.
They were gathering around a leadership figure.
The Development of Communal Financing
The campaign also illustrates an early example of collective financial mobilisation.
The original proposal attempted to avoid the appearance of direct donations.
Joseph explained:
“As you know, Abdullah and I have turned down several offers of donations.”
Instead, supporters were initially encouraged to purchase a camera collectively.
Joseph wrote:
“It’s different than donations, because everyone is chipping in to purchase the camera.”
However, when the camera sale failed to raise sufficient funds, the strategy changed.
Laila later announced:
“Initially, Joseph said he would not accept donations, but now the situation has gotten so bad that he needs to flee like, yesterday.”
Direct donations were then openly accepted.
The campaign eventually succeeded.
Joseph later announced:
“THE CAMPAIGN IS OVER! Praise Allah.”
A few days later he wrote:
“I am sitting at Indianapolis International, about ready to board a plane.”
From a historical perspective, this is significant evidence of the community collectively financing the movement of a member toward the movement’s operational center.
Apocalyptic Urgency as a Recruitment Tool
Throughout the discussion, urgency is repeatedly emphasized.
Joseph writes:
“I cannot describe to you the urgency of leaving that I feel inside of me.”
Later he states:
“There have been several failed attempts to leave, and I believe Abdullah and I feel that this is the last chance that I may have to get out of here.”
He further warns:
“Things are speeding up, and many are saying something big is going to happen towards the middle or end of this month.”
These statements closely mirror themes found throughout Hashem Studios productions such as The Arrivals and The Arrived.
The world is portrayed as approaching imminent catastrophe.
Time is running out.
Urgent action is required.
The practical effect of such messaging is significant.
When individuals believe disaster is imminent, they are often more willing to make drastic life changes that would otherwise seem unreasonable.
Sacrifice, Migration, and Spiritual Status
The thread also reveals how relocation was framed as a spiritual achievement.
After Joseph arrived in Egypt, one supporter praised him:
“You made Hijrah.”
The same member continued:
“You walked away from family and friends, you walked away from your homeland and started a new life.”
This language transforms relocation into a sacred act.
Leaving one’s country becomes evidence of commitment.
Physical migration becomes spiritual validation.
The act of moving closer to the movement is elevated into a form of religious devotion.
Such narratives are commonly found in high-demand ideological movements where sacrifice is interpreted as proof of sincerity.
Historical Significance
The importance of this archive is not that a community raised money for a plane ticket.
The significance lies in what the fundraising reveals.
The thread documents:
- Apocalyptic expectations driving real-world decisions.
- America being portrayed as “Dajjal country.”
- Followers relocating toward Abdullah Hashem.
- Community members financing that relocation.
- Migration being framed as a spiritual obligation.
- The emergence of a community centered on a charismatic leadership figure.
Taken together, these elements reveal a movement already transitioning from an online discussion forum into a physically organised religious network.
Conclusion
The “Get Joe Out of America Campaign” provides an important historical snapshot of the Hashem Studios movement in 2011.
It demonstrates that long before the public emergence of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, key themes were already present:
apocalyptic urgency, distrust of the outside world, communal financing, migration toward leadership, and the elevation of sacrifice as evidence of faith.
The campaign therefore deserves attention not because of the money involved, but because it documents the practical implementation of beliefs that would later become central to the movement’s identity.
Rather than merely discussing prophecy, members were already reorganising their lives around it.
The thread shows the moment when online ideology began producing real-world behavioural commitments, making it an important source for understanding the early development of the movement that would later become AROPL.
References
Hashem Studios Board. “Get Joe Out of America Campaign!” May–August 2011.
Archived at:
https://web.archive.org/web/20111021104412/http://hashemstudios-board.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4208
Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.