Lawyers say no to sorcery suits

By MD HUMAIDAN | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Many Saudi lawyers refuse to take on cases against people who have been accused of dabbling in black magic or deliberately afflicting people with the evil eye, saying such cases are difficult to prove.

“In such cases I will stand with the defendant because it is easy to refute the accusation,” Saudi lawyer Waheeb Ibrahim Lami told Arab News. “Such cases are very rare and hardly get to court. Some, however, do, but these are few and far between.”

Lami said a friend of his who is a painter told him he was working on a painting when his Indonesian housemaid gave him the evil eye, resulting him being unable to draw.

“She looked at the painting and said it was beautiful. Since then, my friend has been unable to even hold a brush,” said Lami.

Lami also recalled the recent incident in Madinah where a judge, who was accused of embezzling about SR200 million, claimed he was haunted by a genie. He added that all religious scholars and lawyers with whom he has discussed the matter are unanimous in their attitude that these kinds of cases cannot be proved.

“Throughout my legal career of more than 30 years I have very rarely run into these kinds of lawsuits in the Kingdom’s courts,” he said. He advised people to protect themselves against the evil eye and black magic by reciting the Qur'an and making supplications instead of going to court.

Adli Ali Hammad, another Saudi lawyer, said he refuses to represent people who want to make such claims. “I consider them vexatious. They are not easy for the claimant to prove. There is also the risk of the defendant then demanding compensation from his accuser,” he said.

Hammad said it is very difficult to provide evidence of black magic or substantiate a claim about the evil eye. He added that magic could be supported by the testimonies of witnesses or items used for making spells. “However, it is better not to open the door to these kinds of cases which would occupy judges and divert them away from other important cases,” he said.

Chairman of the Jeddah Summary Court Abdullah Al-Othaim said it is very rare for such cases to reach courts because of difficulties in proving them. “Every one of these cases is considered according to its nature and the evidence provided by the claimant. If there is no solid evidence to incriminate a person, then the defendant will be acquitted,” he said.

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) has launched a massive campaign against magic and the use of talismans. According to a recent field study it conducted, black magic is not a widespread problem in the Kingdom. The Haia is, however, adamant on stamping out the problem out before it grows.

Comments

ROBERT ANDERSON

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I really cannot stop laughing. Is this article for real? The 'evil eye'. What a load of absurd superstitious nonesense.

ROBYN GRAVES

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So...according to the lawyer...all the religious scholars and other lawyers that he spoke to...said that such "cases" can't be proven. So...apparently some are occupied with a "wild goose chase". Those with more wisdom and experience can see what would happen.....the courts of Saudi Arabia would be completely shut down as every paranoid, superstitious person brings yet another "case" to court. We tried this in Europe and North America a few centuries ago. It's a complete waste of time and only spreads more paranoia and ignorance. No doubt, in Europe and North America many completely innocent people were tortured and put to death needlessly. When we allowed extremists to run our courts...it was a very dark age indeed in North America and Europe. Fortunately the great scholars of the Islamic World rescued and translated our scholarship and preserved it for the rebirth of our culture, the Renaissance. Education, Education, Education

JOHN LEVEIN

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Sorcery, magic, voodoo, genies, abracadabra, magical flying carpets...

I'll let you in on a little secret guys - they're not real. Like Santa, the easter egg bunny, little green men from mars, the boogey man, freddy krueger...you get my drift? Even my 6 year old son knows these things are not real.

MJ

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The evil eye is real.
Sorcery (magic) is real.
Voodoo is real.
I don't speak without knowledge. All the proof is in the Qura'an.
Please don't speak without knowledge!

SYED FAIZ AHMED

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robert, robyn and John is the same person commenting in different names.. wat r u trying to prove bro...?? in my view u r a frustrated person living in saudi arabia,
u r fed up with the religious system here, so u r trying to criticize the system here.
Dont act over smart...
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