Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - " I converted a genie to Islam" is the announcement via Twitter of a Saudi who claims to be a spiritual healer, that is, according to Muslim tradition, a man who heals physical and spiritual ailments with the recitation of verses of the Koran (Ruqya).
Genies (jinn), which in the collective imagination bring the "Arabian Nights" to mind, in Arab culture are creatures with free will created from smokeless fire by God alongside humans and angels.
In the post published by the man, who - Arab News reports - has 16 thousand followers, the genie said: "I am the jinn Habibi. I announce my conversion to Islam at the hands of the sheikh. I testify that there is only one God and Muhammad is the messenger of God. The sheikh was good and helped me to convert".
The announcement has sparked the negative reaction of many people, who accused the man of having invented the dialogue with the genie. Someone remarked that it is a joke, because the man wanted to make believe that genies have a Twitter account.
Some experts of Islamic law have argued that the self-proclaimed healers use this noble practice to make money and do not realize the magnitude of their responsibility towards society. And a scholar said that these so-called healers often diagnose people incorrectly, because they have little knowledge of their ills and their situation.
Recently, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has criticized the use of Ruqya to exploit people and make money. It was also announced that the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (religious police) plans to set up a committee to regulate the work of these healers.