Expert reveals specifics of exorcism in Chechnya and Dagestan

In Dagestan and Chechnya, Islamic exorcists are expelling genies out of local residents and visitors and fight sorcerers who bedevil local residents. This was reported by Vladimir Sevrinovsky, a journalist, who published a study on clinics of Islamic medicine. These clinics work with the support and funding of local authorities; and residents often prefer to turn to healers and ignore the official medicine.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in summer of 2019, Chechen authorities intensified persecuting people who were providing occult services. In particular, the "Grozny" TV Channel regularly aired stories in which local residents repented of practicing witchcraft.

"The rite of Islamic exorcism is widespread in Dagestan and Chechnya. Local authorities are supporting the healers engaged therein. They bring patients to dispensaries, covered with bruises after failed to drive out evil genies; and doctors complain that local residents treat the official psychiatry as the last resort. The exorcists themselves are fighting the adherents of black magic," says Mr Sevrinovsky's article posted on the website "Zapovednik" (Nature Reserve).

According to Mairbek Yunusov, an exorcist, "a genie can identify a person by his/her DNA." He has equated expelling a genie to "negotiation with a terrorist who has taken a hostage."

Eleven years ago, Yunusov stood at the cradle of the Centre of Islamic Medicine in Grozny. He said that then, people exhausted by the war tried to reach free healers in crowds.

Musaev, a healer from Dagestan, told the journalist that an exorcist must be married, "otherwise, some genie might fall in love."