RIYADH — An Islamic academician has urged authorities to take action against con artists who employ magic spells and charms to cheat their victims for financial gains.

Muhammad Al-Falaqi, an educational supervisor and specialist in traditional Islamic treatment, said that there are many irresponsible people who resort to Islamic practice of reciting verses of the Qur’an and supplications of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a lucrative business, especially to those affected by mental disorders. They employ all manners of guile to convince their victims that they are under the influence of the evil eye or black magic.

There has also been stiff competition among these charlatans who market their services through various means. Many charge exorbitant prices for herbs and products that they use in their illegal thriving business, according to a report in Arabic daily.

Al-Falaqi said that some of these swindlers go as far as to act indecently with female victims on the pretext of saving them from evil spells. There are others who offer treatment by reciting Qur’anic verses through telephones for money. They also sell a concoction of water and oil after spitting out saliva into the mix while reciting some verses. Many of these frauds also prescribe herbal medicines to the victims without understanding the resulting complications.

They also resort to physical assault, such as beating the victims, injecting them or applying electric shock on the pretext of driving out the evil within. A number of shops in Riyadh and other cities in the Kingdom that are engaged in the thriving sale of herbs and other traditional medicines which are primarily used by these fake doctors have come under scrutiny.

Suleiman Al-Bathi, director general of the environment health department at Riyadh Mayoralty, said that squads comprising officials of various government departments and agencies are carrying out regular inspection raids on several herbal sales outlets to prevent the sale of prohibited goods and ensure quality of products displayed for sale. Al-Falaqi said it is time to bring in all those who engage in giving traditional Islamic treatment under a government body. He said nearly 80 percent of the victims are women.

Nasser Al-Hamad, who practices traditional Islamic treatment in a moral way, said that there are some young men who start practicing such treatment to cheat victims. They rent out apartments or rest houses, and advertise separate times for men and women.

Al-Falaqi stressed that the Ministry of Islamic Affairs should shoulder its responsibility of clamping down on these illegal practitioners. He also called upon the Ministry of Health to intervene in order to put an end to the health complications created by these con artists. — SG