Authorities in Mahayil have closed down the town's Shariah Ruqya Center and detained the owner after a complaint alleged that he engaged in practices in which he would be alone with an unmarried member of the opposite sex in violation of Shariah law. A Hai'a spokesman said the practitioner of ruqya, which involves the treatment of illnesses through Qur'anic recitation, was arrested along with four foreigners who had overstayed the time limits of their visas, and 11 female clients. The spokesman said that details of the man's arrest and the center's closure would be revealed when investigations are complete. A team of inspectors was recently formed on the orders of the regional governorate to investigate the activities of ruqya practitioners, and officials have made several arrests after discovering the use of “magic and sorcery” to fraudulently relieve members of the public of large amounts of money and exploit their practices to be alone with females seeking their services.
