 Witch doctors have “soiled the image of Islam” by prescribing harmful treatments in the guise of faith healing, according to | Muslim clerics and doctors have gathered in Abu Dhabi to affirm the healing powers of the Quran. |
Muslim clerics and doctors who gathered in Abu Dhabi to affirm the healing powers of the Quran. Islam “is not opposed to reason, science and modern technological developments,” Ali Salem al-Kaabi, the head of Abu Dhabi’s Family Development Foundation said at a recent conference, which drew doctors and religious clerics from across the Muslim world. The conference “aims to expose erroneous ideas, correct misunderstandings and raise awareness about the (dangers) of sorcery and charlatanism,” said Kaabi, warning that “charlatans seek to defraud the naive and superstitious”.
| "By the beard of the Profit (PTUI), how did this mirror come to be in my hand with a note telling me to look in it?" he forgot to add. |
The conference followed several reports in the Belgian media about faith healing practices of some European Muslim communities which turned into tragedy, including the story of a Moroccan girl who died after drinking several litres (quarts) of water mixed with black cumin oil, which an exorcist had said would purge evil spirits.
| Along with everything else inside her, to include her guts... |
The herbal remedy predates Islam and has been administered in the Middle East since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs. The Prophet Mohammed (PTUI) is said to have declared that “black cumin heals every disease except for death”.
Faith healing, particularly in the area of mental health, is widespread in the Muslim world, even among people in wealthy Gulf states who can afford world-class medical treatment. In a bid to prevent future incidents, the conference proposed establishing institutes across the Muslim world that would train and certify doctors in both modern medicine and faith healing.
 Delegates agreed that the Quran has healing powers, with some going so far as to claim that the holy book can cure AIDS and some forms of cancer.| All in the conference nodded sagely, thoughtfully stroking their beards. |
Sheikh Jallul Hajimi, an official in the Algerian ministry of religious affairs, told AFP he had cured “Europeans suffering from mental and sexual illnesses that psychologists and neurologists had failed to treat.”
| “More than 400 people have converted to Islam after receiving Koranic medical treatments,” added his colleague. |
“More than 400 people have converted to Islam after receiving Koranic medical treatments,” added his colleague, Sheikh Abu Muslim Balhamr. Many Muslims believe the Koran can cure illness. The most common treatment consists of drinking water with pieces of paper bearing Quranic verses dissolved in it.| Prolly not as bad for your physical self as the black cumin oil, but incredibly corrosive for your soul. |
In what he described as a blending of the longstanding practice with modern technology, Sharif Shukran, an Algerian biomedical engineer attending the conference, proposed transforming the sound of Koranic verses into electromagnetic waves and passing them through the water instead.| Don't laugh. In LA you could charge $25,000 a glass for this miracle. In Paris you could charge $250,000. |
| Sharif Shukran, an Algerian biomedical engineer, proposed transforming the sound of Koranic verses into electromagnetic waves and passing them through water. |
The conference, the first of its kind, comes as part of a larger movement across the Muslim world aimed at harmonising Islam and modern medicine. In December 2006, a top Malaysian university published a report claiming that the postures used during Muslim prayers benefit the heart and spine, while increasing the capacity for memory and attention. | Promotes calluses on the forehead, too. |
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the study affirmed the power of prayer in a person’s life, the New Straits Times reported in December. “The study investigates the physiological interactions and effects of the salat (prayer) postures on the human body,” Abdullah said. “Since the majority of our population are Muslims, it is both of interest and importance that we not only understand the spiritual benefits of salat, but also its biological and medical effects.” Abdullah, who champions a moderate form of Islam called Islam Hadhari, has been encouraging Muslims worldwide to give equal importance to education, science, technology and development alongside the spiritual aspects of the religion. | Thomas Dolby could not be reached for comment. |
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