I read today in The Angry Arab News Service administrated by Dr. As'ad Abukhalil that in Saudi Arabia,
"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."
The committee for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice is the Saudi's "religious police" tasked with enforcing its own understanding of Islamic teachings within the society. The committee members force women to cover their faces, shops to close during prayer time, and in 2002 in Mecca, the committee didn't allow the firefighters of entering a girls' school building which was on flames, as the committee delegates to the scene could not make sure that the girls inside were wearing their veils. 15 girls died on the fire.
As the rest of the Arab world are breathlessly trying to catch the train of the 21st century, Saudi Arabia is sinking in the sands of the 12th. And if the hunt for black magic is today's task. I will expect the committee to start a witch-hunt season soon.
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