Authorities in Somaliland on Saturday banned the activities of a prominent but controversial jinn exorcist in the Burao city, Toogdheer region.
Police stormed an ongoing exorcism session and escorted Sheikh AbdulHaq Rusheye out to an unknown destination amid protest by his followers and residents of Burao.
The scenes were chaotic as his followers mainly women protested the police action intercepting the law enforcers as they walked the Sheikh out of the session.
The women wailed and offered plastic containers of water for the Sheikh to bless it as he was whisked away.
It was later communicated to the public that Sheikh Rusheye’s activities had been banned by the government pending probe.
A video of one of the sessions that went viral this week triggered public reaction with many questioning his rather unusual form of exorcism which involves use of car wash pump to spray “holy water” to hundreds of women possessed by jinn.
“Human right watch must act on this and those men should be in jail. How a sensible person treat some properties like animals in public arena nkt! Our Muslim sisters must avoid to attend such places” Dul Qarneyn reacted to the video.
“This high pressure water can cause blindness to these women. This is why people need to be educated about their religion” Adnan Hassan commented on Facebook.
Some accused the Sheikh of extortion.
“These are broken people, stressed, depressed, afraid and unsure. These men have seen a void to now make money on these gullible souls. This is why mental health is VERY necessary in our communities” Mariam Sheikh commented.
