The practice of magic and sorcery is deeply rooted in underdeveloped societies, finding fertile ground from which swindlers and sorcerers reap a lot of easy money.
A famous masseur received his fair share of punishment after he began exorcising demons from the bodies of obsessive-compulsive individuals. Another pretender used beating to exorcise demons from the body of a sick citizen, leading to his death. He was sentenced to prison, but his ‘mullas’ succeeded in securing his release before the end of his sentence.
He obtained citizenship and began collecting donations through his association and those of others. He earned millions, and even dared to insult the country’s symbols during the ‘Arab Spring’. His citizenship was revoked, but the ‘mullas’ intervened for the 10th time and restored it. He left the country after rumors spread about an intention to revoke his citizenship.
He now lives between Bosnia and Turkiye, enjoying the money of the naive and ignorant who donated to him. The Interior Ministry arrested another person practicing sorcery and witchcraft, claiming to predict the future.
However, he was unable to predict the arrival of the police at his hideout. After examining his security record, it was revealed that he had a criminal record and was arrested on the same charge 20 years ago.
The question is:
How did he reenter the country? The Interior Ministry also announced a few days ago the arrest of a gang of 12 men and women of various nationalities practicing sorcery and witchcraft. Then came the blow it had been waiting for more than 26 years.
Fahad Al-Yousef’s officers succeeded in arresting a citizen who called himself ‘the Sheikh’. He was providing treatment for various illnesses, treating infertility, bringing couples closer together, breaking spells, and exorcising jinn (but he failed to exorcise the Interior Ministry’s efforts).
They found various tools used in fraud and swindling people in his apartment in Mahboula. What is funny, or sad, about this charlatan citizen’s story is what I discovered after the Ministry of Interior published his full name in the media.
I wrote about his fraudulent activities 26 years ago, in a famous article titled “Why, Ahmed Behbehani?” The article was written after the late Ahmed Rajai refused to stop publishing the charlatan’s nonsense in Al-Yaqza magazine, which he owned. The reason for this was that its publication was contributing to the backwardness of society even further.
The late Ahmed argued that what this person published in Al-Yaqza was contributing to increased sales (!)—which is unfortunately the same excuse we heard from Al-Qabas when we asked them why they continue to host certain figures in the Black Box! The charlatan was harmed by my article at the time, so he filed a lawsuit against us, but he lost on all counts.
The vendetta persisted between us, up to this day, until Fahad Al-Yousef vindicated us. Thank you! The pressing question: How did a citizen practice sorcery and witchcraft, often publicly, for more than 30 years, amass enormous wealth, and destroy the lives, minds and souls of thousands of citizens, without the competent authorities detecting him or other charlatans? Where were their eyes, for decades, on all these charlatans? Which agency or agencies sought to issue them residency and visit permits?
By Ahmed alsarraf
email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
