Tunisia pop diva claims to be long-awaited Islamic messiah 'Al-Mahdi'

A Tunisian popstar has sparked concerns about her mental health after she took to social media to claim that she is the Islamic messiah.

Iman Lamiri posted a bizarre video on her Instagram account last week in which she tells her fans that she is the Mahdi - the prophesised "guided one" who will appear before the end of days to rid the world of evil in the Islamic faith.

"I have a message that I have to deliver in three days. It came to me yesterday and I wrote it down… by the way I am not sleeping and I won't," Lamiri says.

"I plead with you all. I swear I don't want anything. I am the Mahdi," she adds.

The delirious-looking singer goes on to ramble about her alleged religious revelation. She also posted a series of statements online detailing her claim to be the messiah.

The posts have garnered much attention on social media, with many expressing concern over her mental wellbeing.

Lamiri was once a contestant on talent programme Star Academy Arabia.

According to some Islamic traditions, the Mahdi will arrive before judgment day to defeat a false messiah.

Many figures have claimed to be the Islamic messiah throughout history including founders of several religious offshoots of Islam.

In 2017, an Egyptian cleric known as Sheikh Mizo, who had claimed to be the Mahdi, was sentenced to five years in prison for "contempt of religion".