JEDDAH: A total of 30 officials of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) have been trained on how to deal with cases of black magic.The three-day training program was held in the Eastern Province city of Al-Ahsa.The commission has achieved remarkable successes in combating black magic in various parts of the country.
It has set up nine specialized centers in the main cities to deal with black magicians.The majority of people arrested for practicing black magic in the Kingdom are Africans and Indonesians.According to a report received by Arab News, a single specialized center had dealt with 586 cases involving black magic, showing the enormity of the problem. About 50 cases were reported in Jeddah alone in the first half of 2009. Gurayat and Qunfuda also reported high rates of black magic cases during that year.The Riyadh governorate last year launched a campaign against black magicians and those who illegally treat people by reading from the Qur’an.Only qualified Saudis are allowed to practice Qur’anic treatment methods. Expatriates practicing such treatments would be caught and deported. – Arabnews
