PEOPLE performing sorcery or practising black magic and witchcraft could be jailed for up to five years under a proposal submitted by MPs.
Under the current Penal Code, the punishment is imprisonment up to a year and a fine of not more than BD100.
However, four parliament members are urging violators to be jailed for up to five years and fined no less than BD500 and up to a maximum of BD5,000.
The proposal was submitted by Ebrahim Al Nefaei, Khalid Buenq, Mohammed Isa and Ahmed Al Ansari as part of efforts to eradicate practices that they said “destroy the unity of families”.
“The Penal Code is from the 1970s and some of the punishments don’t fit the gravity of the crime anymore,” Mr Isa told the GDN.
“Sorcery destroys lives and breaks apart families and the punishment imposed is minimal compared with the profit these sorcerers are making by taking advantage of people who are weak of faith and in need.
“We have a duty as legislators to combat any threat to the Bahraini family by creating laws to eradicate these practices.”
He said some people might resort to sorcery out of weak faith, being overwhelmed and looking for salvation, or to plot revenge against others and destroy their lives or through believing superstitions.
He added that some domestic workers have used these techniques to plot revenge against the families they work for under claims of mistreatment and abuse and have resorted to burying the spells or throwing them in the sea in their home countries leaving families crushed and shattered.
“We need to raise awareness and impose tougher punishments, because even though the toughest punishment in the world is the death penalty we still have murders,” said Mr Isa.
“Raising awareness among children is important to ensure they grow up with strong beliefs which solidify the community’s unity and protect our society.
“People are taking up these practices because of the large sums of money they can make, and we must put an end to this before it turns into a profit-generating phenomenon.”
Mr Buenq said these practices destroy families sometimes beyond repair, adding that in some neighbouring countries the punishment is the death penalty because of the severity of the crime.
“Black magic is widespread and practitioners spread delusions among people who are weak of faith by making them believe these talismans will help them.
“Superstitions have nothing to do with Islam and the Quran and spreads polytheism.
“Apparently people’s pictures, hair, clothing, urine and blood are used to concoct spells which break families and shatter lives and need to be eradicated.
“We are not talking of sheikhs who treat by reciting the Quran but people who claim to communicate with the Djin and who use black magic.”
Mr Buenq urged people to report suspicious behaviour associated with sorcery and black magic to the police and authorities.
Meanwhile, victims have voiced their pain and hoped the new proposed punishment will deter frauds from taking advantage of people’s pain and trauma.
“My mother was a victim of black magic for more than 40 years because people were jealous of her beauty and husband,” said a Bahraini woman in her 30s, on condition of anonymity.
“It destroyed her life – she couldn’t sleep and always heard voices in her head.
“We took her to five hospitals and all her scans were normal so we were at a loss and it was heart-breaking to see my mother suffer.
“We went to a person who claimed he could help her but he turned out to be a fraud and beat her claiming he would get the Djin out of her. But he just ended up causing her more pain.
“We heard the Djin speaking through her saying he had occupied her body for years and refused to leave; my mother would just get exhausted and pass out.
“She is still unable to sleep but her condition has improved a little through Quran recitation by a sheikh who was able to identify that she was a victim of black magic.”
Another Bahraini woman in her thirties also claimed she was a victim of black magic.
She said she struggled for months with headaches, stomach ache and general fatigue alongside other psychological ailments that plagued her.
“I was going through terrible physical and psychological pain that was so bad it made me stop wanting my children around me,” she said, on condition of anonymity.
“I didn’t understand what was wrong with me because I was always tired and unhappy and fatigued and it severely impacted my relationship with my children and family.
“However, the spell has been lifted through Quran recitation and although the sessions were excruciatingly exhausting for me they were also my cure.”
reem@gdn.com.bh
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