islam exorcism uk
The 29-year-old woman sought help claiming the curse was causing her a range of medical problems.
This disturbing video gives a fascinating insight into the secret world of Islamic exorcisms in the UK for the first time. A British imam allowed cameras in to film him performing a "ruqyah" ritual on an unmarried woman at a mosque in Sheffield, Yorkshire, to dispel myths about the practice.

The ceremony was one of thousands carried out every year in the UK where imams rid men and women of evil spirits or "jinn" which they believe live inside them.

In the video a young Muslim woman dressed in a burqa is seeking help to rid her of spirits which she believes are caused by black magic.

islam exorcism 2
An exorcism takes roughly an hour to perform.
The 29-year-old woman sought help claiming the curse was causing her a range of medical problems which she said conventional doctors could not cure.

She said her symptoms included vomiting, pain in the womb, insomnia, headaches, back pain, and poor memory.

She also said she was easily angered and would scream for no reason.

In the video the woman can be seen rocking backwards and forwards as Imam Ayoub Tayeb chants verses from the Koran to banish the demonic entity.

She can be heard panting and retching as the imam at the Masjid Mohammed mosque shouts deafeningly into a microphone at the jinni.

He can be heard repeating "can you find God, can you find Him?"

As Imam Tayeb shouts verses more aggressively at the jinni the woman, of Bradford, West Yorkshire, is seen fleeing to the other side of the couch - seeking to escape.

She then screams out uncontrollably while thrashing around on a couch before picking up a nearby table.

At which point the imam spits holy water in her face to bring the jinni under control.


Comment: From my viewing of the video, the imam appears to just spit in her face, there's no evidence of him sipping on holy water.


Imam Tayeb, originally from Kurdistan, said: "She has black magic and the jinni that brought the magic is also in love with her.

"But this is not real love as love does not cause pain and this Jinn has caused many ailments.

"The information about the magic was given by the Jinni when I was speaking to it but it did not say who caused the magic."

"We only operate in the healing and helping to cure them from these evil practices - but magic practising is widespread.

"A simple Google search would reveal how easy it is to buy or find a spell."

The patient in this video is now following a home treatment plan and said to be feeling better and many of her symptoms having disappeared.

The exorcism is one of around 3,000 performed by 42-year-old Imam Tayeb in the last three years.
imam excorsim uk islam
As well as serving the community in Sheffield patients come from far afield as Germany, Norway, USA, Sweden and Iraq.

The imam said: "Most of our patients come from the Islamic faith.

"However we have also helped Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and atheists - we do not differentiate between religions or non-religion.

"I treat unexplained illnesses that doctors cannot explain or cure such as period or menstrual issues or excessive behaviours such as gambling, drugs or alcohol.

"We use a diagnosis in a way similar to what you may find at a doctor's surgery.

"We list listing common symptoms in either jinn possession or magic and through those answers we can diagnose the problem by Allah's will."

Imam Tayeb learned his skills by watching others perform ruqyah and through reading.

He said: "I enjoy helping people - it is my passion and I enjoying serving God in this way.

"I like using the Koran to heal and witnessing the power of the Koran gives me satisfaction - to heal and see people healed.

"It can make me tired at times and very busy - continuous recitation can give me a sore throat."

However the healer insists he has nothing to fear from the jinn.

He said: "I only fear God and God is more powerful than the jinni He created so I believe God will protect me.

"Jinn like to incite fear in humans but they cannot attack me because I am not scared of them and God is on my side.

"I protect myself by reading morning and evening supplications.

"I pray five times a day with obligatory prayers and supplementary prayer and I also pray in the night when the world sleeps for God to protect me."

An exorcism takes roughly an hour to perform - with Imam Tayeb charging a £60 fee which is used to fund the mosque.

However he insists no one is turned away as the service is often provided for free to help people.



Comment: It is very important to bear in mind that psychological issues, trauma, mental and other illnesses, could be mislabelled as possession, and wrongly attempted to be 'cured' through exorcism, where work on the self, therapy and/or medicine, would be appropriate. The Catholic church, for example, has a strict policy of directing patients to the appropriate specialists in those cases.
Irish exorcist priest calls in for back up amid dramatic increase in demonic activity (VIDEO)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between demonic activity and mental illness. From paragraph 1673: "Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church. Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness."
With that said, the issue of possession does appear to be on the rise: Also see a short news clip by BBC's News Night: Possession, Jinn and Britain's backstreet exorcists
Prof Singh argues that education is vital among communities so that these healers do not get in the way of medical care:

"For panic attacks and depression, the current treatment now is not medication, it's talking therapies, and in some cultures this means talking to a healer, so it may work."

"It becomes problematic when it becomes an alternative to medical care - so when instead of taking medication, they rely exclusively on religious ceremony or religious procedure. That's not going to treat the condition, so faith may offer comfort but it doesn't offer a cure for illness."