My exorcism

I refer to a report carried by Utusan Malaysia recently, stating that the Selangor Syariah Court is looking for supernatural experts to deal with cases that were mystical in nature.

According to the Syariah chief justice Mohammad Adib Husain, there are case proceedings in the courts involving witchcraft, supernatural entities and other mystical elements.

However, since there has been no method to verify the evidence, he claims it is vital for the Syariah Courts to get people with such expertise to help with the cases.

While many people in my social circle are turning this news into a joke, I must say, this news reminded me of a bitter episode in my life.

About ten years ago, I made a decision to end my 14 years of marriage. When I sat down with my then-husband and told him of my decision, he was shocked and decided to inform our close family members, hoping they would talk me out of it.

However, when his attempts to save our marriage failed, he assumed that I must have been going through a period of depression and brought me to a psychiatrist. Having been a full-time housewife whose life revolved around a husband, two active children and loads of chores, I suppose it was an easy diagnosis to make.

When my session with the psychiatrist ended with him finding nothing wrong with my mental health, my then-husband was left in a dead end.

That was when some friends and relatives of his suggested that I may have been ‘disturbed’ by some supernatural creatures – it was all a matter of “buatan orang” (other people’s doings), they said.

Honestly believing that someone envious of our ‘happy marriage’ was trying to use witchcraft to break us up, my ex sorted help from an imam. Apparently, the imam knew someone who was an expert in supernatural cases and has helped many Muslims deal with similar issues in the past.

So there I was, an unhappy wife in Kuala Lumpur, forced to get into the car and brought all the way to a village somewhere in Kulim to meet my exorcist.

I must say that I was very reluctant to get out of the car on that day. I knew I was not possessed by any supernatural entities. But no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to convince the others that my decision of seeking for a divorce was made with a sane mind.

Anyhow, the imam assured me that the exorcism was not an act of ‘syirik’ (believing in other powers than of Allah). He claimed that I had nothing to be afraid about – if I was fine, and had no supernatural disturbances, I would have nothing to worry about.

With my pulse racing, I stepped out of the car and into the old kampung house. The man who was about to conduct my exorcism was already seated on the floor of the kampung house with a Quran placed in front of him. I was requested to sit opposite him with everyone else seated far against the wall.

The man began making simple conversation, asking for my name and age. He then made sure I was not having my menses. And then he hands me a glass of water, claiming it was just mineral water. I read my prayers and took a sip.

“Please finish it,” he ordered.

We then began the ritual. The man explained to me that he would be reading a few selected verses from the Quran and I was expected to repeat them. I agreed to do as required.

He started off with some short verses and I uttered them with ease. Some ten minutes later, the verses got a bit longer and I found myself having to listen carefully in order to be able to repeat them. Still, I managed to pass the test.

Almost 20 minutes later, the man continued with even longer verses. I tried my best to repeat them but struggled to remember the last bit of the verses.

Half an hour later, the man stood up and informed my ex-husband that I may be experiencing some disturbances from “supernatural entities.”

He said, “The way she trembles at the end of those verses, unable to complete them, clearly shows there is something disturbing her, preventing her from uttering the verses of the Quran.”

I felt my heart drop to my belly. I felt helpless. I was frustrated. The religion which was supposed to guard me and protect me was now used against me.

Back home, I was given a separate room to stay and forced to drink air jampi a few times a day. And my children were told that their mother was “not well.”

Not too long after, I decided that I had enough. I took my two children and left home. A week later, I filed for a divorce.

Despite the exorcism, no supernatural creatures were cast out of me.

Many years have passed since my divorce, and I no longer hold any grudges towards my ex-husband. I understand that a spouse on the verge of divorce may resort to any means possible to save the marriage, including convincing themselves that their other half may have been under the influence of supernatural entities. After all, we are just humans, sometimes we allow our emotions get the best of us.

However, with Syariah Courts today looking forward to involve supernatural experts in court proceedings, I wonder what would have been my fate if my exorcist had taken the witness stand and testified that he had sensed the presence of supernatural entities during his ‘treatment’, claiming that my request for a divorce was made due to my ‘disturbances’ and not of a sane mind.

Most likely, my divorce application would have been rejected and I’d be ordered to return to my ex-husband to continue my ‘treatment’.

For this reason, I fear for the people who will be victimised and denied of a fair trial if Syariah Courts allow supernatural experts in court proceedings.

At the same time, we cannot deny the fact that there will also be people using supernatural disturbances as an excuse for their own benefit:

Spouses who do not want to be attached with the stigma of being divorced, convincing the court that the other person is under the influence of supernatural entities.

First wives requesting the court to dissolve the second marriage of their husband, accusing the new wife of using witchcraft to marry him.

Couples caught for close proximity claiming innocence, blaming supernatural disturbances for their misconduct (or either one of them blaming the other for using witchcraft against them).

Islam emphasises justice and fairness. Islam does not tolerate misconduct or manipulation of the law which could result in a miscarriage of justice. By including supernatural entities, witchcraft and mystical elements in court proceedings, can the Syariah Courts live up to the standards required by Allah?

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FA ABDUL is a passionate storyteller, a growing media trainer, an aspiring playwright, a regular director, a struggling producer, a self-acclaimed photographer, an expert Facebooker, a lazy blogger, a part-time queen and a full-time vainpot. -Mkini