Editing Ahmed al-Hasan (section)

===Supporters===
The adherents of Ahmed al-Hasan collectively identify themselves as ''Ansar al-Mahdi'' ({{Literally}} supporters of the [[Imam Mahdi|Mahdi]], {{Langx|ar|أنصار المهدي|links=no}}),<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Ansar al-Mahdi and the Continuing Threat of the Doomsday Cults in Iraq|url=https://jamestown.org/program/the-ansar-al-mahdi-and-the-continuing-threat-of-the-doomsday-cults-in-iraq/|last=Rafid Fadhil Ali|date=22 February 2008|website=[[The Jamestown Foundation]]|language=en-US|access-date=30 May 2020}}</ref> (also ''Ansar al-Imam al-Mahdī''), and are sometimes called ''Ansars''. His followers have described his call as being universal,<ref name="Mahdiwatch Questions">{{Cite web |url=http://www.mahdiwatch.org/2008.03.01_arch.html#1205465357892 | title = Questions sent to Ahmad al-Hassan followers (Ansars) | date = 13 March 2008 | access-date = 30 July 2012 | publisher = Dr. Timothy Furnish | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418071841/http://www.mahdiwatch.org/2008.03.01_arch.html#1205465357892 | archive-date = 18 April 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="MERIP">{{Cite web |url=http://www.merip.org/mer/mer242/basra-reluctant-seat-shiastan | title = MERIP Basra analysis | date = 13 March 2008 | access-date = 30 July 2012 | publisher = Dr. Reidar Visser }}</ref> because his preaching addresses Muslims, Christians, Jews, and all of mankind.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Skelly|first=Joseph|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FPceAsg_bpwC&q=%22ahmad+al-hassan%22+jews+christians&pg=PA187|title=Political Islam from Muhammad to Ahmadinejad: Defenders, Detractors, and Definitions|date=25 November 2009|publisher=[[Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa]]|isbn=978-0-313-37224-7|pages=187|language=en}}</ref>

Many of his supporters are in his native land, Iraq. While his prominence has wained since his first burst of publicity,<ref name="Who"/> there are reportedly "more than 15 official public offices and representatives in major cities" there.<ref name="Who"/> 
He is believed to have followers in many other countries as well, including Iran, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States and Australia. And his websites provide teachings in several languages.<ref name="Who"/> In Iran, the Yamani movement is said to have "more than 6,000" converts and to be more popular among clerics than lay people, especially due to clerics being more knowledgeable eschatological hadiths and because of the similarities between Ahmed al-Hasan's characteristics and the descriptions given of the promised al-Yamani in the Shīʿa scriptures. This support has begun to cause friction with the [[Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran|Iranian government]]. According to the chief of Basra police his followers are mostly intellectuals and educated people, including university professors, seminary graduates and engineers.<ref>{{cite news|title=شرطة البصرة تكشف معلومات عن 'رسول' المهدي المنتظر|trans-title=Basra police reveal information about the expected 'messenger' of Mahdi|last=Neouf|first=Hayan|url=https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2008%2F02%2F03%2F45126|date=3 February 2008|work=[[Al Arabiya]]|language=ar}}</ref>

Ahmed al-Hasan has an official website and [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]] channels. There are many books devoted to supporting or debunking him.<ref>[https://almahdyoon.com/main/ansarlib/ Online Arabic library on official Ahmed Alhasan's website]</ref><ref name="Who"/>