"I liked to talk about my needs as a woman, and we were joking about many things. Unfortunately, sometimes I went too far talking about things I should never have talked about, but I was just joking," she said.
The woman suggested that Iman sleep with her husband if she wanted to help speed up the Mahdi's return.
"I looked at her and laughed. I thought she was joking. I told her, 'No, he is too old for me. I want someone younger,' " Iman said. "She said, 'I'm serious -- all you have to do is sleep with my husband.' "
Others shared similar stories about the group, called Mumahidoon, or "those who prepare the way."
Abu Jassem said the group preyed upon him when he was unemployed.
His recruiter was a good friend who knew of his religious fervor, and of his need for money. The friend sweetened the deal with the promise of a stipend for joining the cult. But then he told Abu Jassem of the one catch: He had to let his fellow believers sleep with his wife, daughter and sister.
"I was stunned but didn't show my astonishment. Later I told them I refused the idea because these things were against my traditions and religion."
Although Iraqi security officials dismiss the idea that such cults pose a genuine threat, Hassan is not convinced. "The cults in our society," he warned, "could pose a danger."
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Times staff writer Ned Parker contributed to this report.
