12:00, 27 May 2010

In Chechnya, theologians and militia reveal witch doctors and foretellers

Employees of the Centre of Islamic Medicine (CIM) are raiding, together with local law enforcers, districts of Chechnya aiming to reveal people who present themselves as healers and fortune-tellers. About 40 persons of this sort have been detained within a fortnight.

"The broad-scale checks in the districts of the republic to reveal swindlers who present themselves as sorcerers and foretellers began two weeks ago," a source in the Muftiat of Chechnya told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, for the first time in this sort of practice for fighting charlatans it was decided to show them on TV: "People should no these swindlers by appearance and never address them for help in future, wasting time and money on all these pseudo-healers, sorcerers, foretellers and so on."

As a rule, the CIM receives information about such people from citizens who have addressed such swindlers practising in-home "treatment".

"Once we get the data, we send three CIM theologians, accompanied by a video cameraman, who hold a talk with such person. It is videoed and then put on a local TV Channel," said the source.

Author: Muslim Ibragimov

Source: CK correspondent