Defence against the dark arts: Saudi Arabia trains staff against black magic

A Saudi government commission gave dozens of members of its Mecca governing body a five-day crash course in “developing scientific skills to defeat black magic”.

Narrated

1 min read

The New Arab

08 Nov, 2017

The participants of the programme were taught how to 'scientifically battle witchcraft' [Getty]

In the midst of Riyadh’s latest “anti-corruption purge” carried out by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a government body elsewhere was busy giving a course in defeating an alternative form of evil hiding between the walls… black magic.

The Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice concluded a training programme on Wednesday called the "development of scientific skills in the fight against witchcraft."

The course took place in Ramada al-Hada in the city of Taif, located in the Mecca province, southwest of the country.

The 27 participants of the programme were taught how to “scientifically battle witchcraft,” and received certificates of attendance from the head of the Taif Governorate, Sheikh Yahya bin Ali al-Hazmi.

Al-Hazmi expressed his thanks to the programme's trainer, saying those who received the course now have new skills to "benefit" the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, hoping that they will be able to “apply and develop their new skills in their field capabilities.”