Morocco Cracks Down on ’Roqya’ Exorcism Practices Amid Abuse Allegations

A phenomenon dating back several centuries, roqya which, according to Islam, is intended to be a self-medication exercise, a ritual of purification and elimination of ills through prayer and meditation, has become, in recent years, a matter of unscrupulous charlatans who offer healing through paid therapy sessions, notes Lavanguardia.com.

More specifically, roqya is a set of spiritual methods that would allow to remedy hidden diseases or simple daily problems such as unemployment, celibacy and family conflicts, by reciting Quranic verses and using substances such as oil, water, honey or herbs.

A therapy that allows, for example, to identify supposed diabolical possessions, witchcraft or the evil eye, and to protect against them. However, for some time now, the extension of this pseudo-religious practice has attracted ill-intentioned people in Morocco who take advantage of it to financially bleed their victims or directly subject them to rape and sexual abuse.

This is how criminal cases related to these exorcists, shamans or simple charlatans are multiplying on a daily basis, with tragedies and scandals of all kinds. In Kenitra, for example, it was a 6-year-old girl who died on April 23 during one of these sessions, led by her own brother who had proclaimed himself a raqi.

Meanwhile, the Tiznit police arrested a charlatan accused of sexually abusing several clients who believed they were persecuted by the devil. Investigations later confirmed that the raqi had taken his victims to isolated places, raped and robbed them there.

Mosaab Touzi, the famous charlatan from Casablanca, was sentenced to seven years in prison after raping several clients during exorcism sessions in which the victims lost consciousness. In Dakhla, another raqi was arrested for raping a married woman when she disappeared during the exorcism session.

So many perverse acts that have greatly perverted the practice of roqya, arousing great mistrust among the population. The authorities, for their part, do not intend to lower their guard, by tracking down any pseudo-raqi, in order to protect people who sometimes fall into traps, imbued with naivety.