DUBAI – Customs officials in Dubai have seized about 10 pounds worth of items that they claim are related to “black magic.” The items were seized at the Dubai International Airport last month. All such items are illegal in the United Arab Emirates.
Dubai Customs says that there have been 35 interceptions of similar items in the last 3 years. The latest intercepted material brings the total amount of seized material to about 150 pounds.
The Emirates Today (Emarat Al Youm, Arabic: الإمارات اليوم,), a domestic newspaper based in Dubai, reports that “authorities seized 47.6 kg of such materials over 12 instances in 2018, 12.9 kg over 18 instances in 2019, and 7.9 kg over five instances in 2020.”
The intercepted items consist of amulets, books, herbs, talismans, and animal blood, skins, and bones. Some pictures of the various seizures show beaded items related to West African spiritual traditions. Previous confiscations included knives, needles, jewelry, and books.
Authorities said that their most prominent seizure involved a “bag of a traveler from an African country which contained 10.3 kg of talismans, scraps of paper, and books and tools used in magic… Another traveler from the same African country was caught in 2019. His bag contained talismans and other items weighing a total of 8.4 kg, while, last year, another bag from an Arab country containing 4 kg of sorcery material was seized.”
The African country was not named in any reporting.
Khalid Ahmad, Director of Passenger Operations at Dubai Customs, confirmed that seizures have been made from African passengers. “Items that could be associated with sorcery or black magic are prohibited under a decree by the [Gulf Cooperation Council] Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee,” he said.
“Attempts to bring these prohibited materials into the country in various ways are considered smuggling,” Ahmad added, “in accordance with the unified customs law.” He noted that his team at Dubai Customs is trained to look for physical and behavioral cues that suggest passengers may be carrying illegal items and focus on them for manual screening of their baggage.
African items seized in Dubai [courtesy Dubai Customs]
“It’s completely illegal in the UAE,” said Hassan Ibrahim, a senior inspections officer with Dubai Customs, in 2015. “It’s against our religion, and those who practice black magic are a danger to society and a threat to the safety of our country.”
Ibrahim added that Dubai Customs focuses on the contents of passengers’ bags, and especially on where they have traveled. “We keep an eye out for a range of items, and it usually starts with a high density of papers,” he said, “as most sorcerers work a lot using unusual symbols written on papers, sometimes combined with Quran verses, written in saffron, ink, or blood. It starts with papers including magic teaching books, but then the list goes deeper.”
Dubai Customs trains with the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities (IACAD) in Dubai to identify magical items and sorcery practices. IACAD’s main role is to promote religious awareness and propagate Islamic culture and practice. IACAD also provides fatwa guidance, organizes hajj & umrah trips to Mecca, translates religious books, and issues licenses for Islamic religious teachers, along with caring for mosques.
Dubai, an absolute monarchy, is located in the Arabian Desert and is one of the seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is itself an elective monarchy from the federation of the seven emirates. Islam is the official state religion and is practiced by three-quarters of UAE citizens. There are sizable Christian and Hindu minorities.
Islam heavily informs the UAE legal system. The constitution of UAE provides for religious freedom with significant restrictions. Conversion from Islam, for example, is illegal and apostates face death penalties. Witchcraft is illegal, as are items associated or presumed to be associated with its practice.
The practice of “black magic” or any attempt to smuggle magical or sorcery paraphernalia is illegal under Article 316 of the UAE’s Penal Code. People caught smuggling black magic objects are subject to prison or fines.
Witchcraft is not punishable by death in the UAE; however, accused practitioners can face a jail sentence and a fine of over $10,000 for committing acts of witchcraft and sorcery. Travelers may also face instant deportation and lifetime travel bans.
“Anyone who directly or indirectly jeopardizes another person’s physical or mental state using magic will be punished by law,” says Virgin Radio of Dubai.
In 2019, Abu Dhabi police arrested a European woman accused of using witchcraft to help individuals with family issues. According to police reports, “A research and investigation team caught the woman in the act, where she would use tricks and fake rituals.”
The confiscated goods, according to Ahmad, are first kept in warehouses, then referred to authorities to be “dealt with in the proper way.” All items that contradict Islamic beliefs are destroyed.
Dubai Customs praised its staff for their work in identifying and acting against these threats. “These things do not scare us,” Hassan said. “We at Dubai Customs are doing our job, and we will still do what we have to do, to protect our country and discourage such kinds of harmful and unlawful activities.”
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.