A case of “spiritual healing” that was posed by the investigative program “Les Quatre Vérités” has sparked widespread controversy in Tunisia. The TV program unveiled shocking details regarding the rape of around 900 women, according to claims made against a “spiritual healer” who deceived women with his ‘magic’ abilities to cure them from “witchcraft and possessions by jinn”, through sex sessions or “spiritual intercourse”.

The case sheds light on spiritual healers who exploit the ignorance and fears of some women, in order to gain material benefits and sexually abuse them.

Infatuated by Jinn

“I got to know Bulga Kahuli the spiritual healer more than a year ago, through my sister, who had also fallen prey to his exploitation. As soon as I contacted him, he began convincing me that an infatuated jinn is residing within my body, and that if I do not undergo treatment at his hands, I will remain ill and my condition will stay the same. I knew from the beginning what the “treatment” method was, because my sister had been undergoing this same treatment for three years. The treatment consists of having sexual intercourse with ‘Bulga Kahuli’, so that he could get the jinn out. My sister, a student at the Faculty of Economy, was suffering from extreme dizziness and sudden fainting spells, and her classmate, who already was a client of ‘Bulga Kahuli’, advised her to go to him to determine the reasons for her ailments and treat them. I was not convinced at first, but then seeing my sister’s health condition improve made me believe in his abilities. In reality, I wasn’t really suffering from any diseases, but he made me think that a jinn was living inside me.”

Widespread controversy in Tunisia after shocking details of the rape of around 900 women, by a “spiritual healer” who deceives them with his ability to cure them from witchcraft and possessions by jinn.

In her testimony that was broadcasted during the aforementioned TV program, “Amira”, a pseudonym, confirms that she undergoes two or three “treatment” sessions at the hands of the spiritual healer every month, in return for a pre-specified sum of money that he receives for each session. She adds, “He asked me to rent an apartment and secure some personal requirements and necessities like dried fruits and mutton meat, among others. I had my doubts and suspicions from the moment I knew him, but he had his own way to control me and manipulate my mind. He delude me into thinking that he was dealing with creatures only he could see, that the sexual relations we had are legitimate and justified, and that I was having intercourse with a spiritual being and not a material one — meaning that the intercourse would be a spiritual treatment — and he also promised marriage.”

Caption: The  TV program “Les Quatre Vérités” (‘The Four Truths’) that unveiled the case of the sorcerer “Bulga Kahuli”

The sorcerer “Bulga Kahuli” has his own special way of ensnaring his victims with the aim of exploiting them both sexually and financially. He lures them through his official Facebook page, where he promotes his services and claims he has supernatural abilities to remove all kinds of black magic and treat incurable diseases, publishing testimonies of women and girls that he had been able to treat. “I don't want to shock you, but your condition is serious and requires 14 sessions of treatment. You must provide an apartment to conduct the sex sessions, preferably in the Ariana governorate (that is, close to his place of residence), and the fee is 210 dinars. And in order to make this process easier for you, think of yourself as someone going on a date, instead of a treatment session. I will talk to the jinn and it will talk to me, and if you want to talk to it or see it, that wouldn’t be a problem.” With these words, the spiritual healer ensnares every woman or girl that contacts him to tell him about her problem and ask him for help. The questions that he uses to diagnose the condition of the victim include: “Do you suffer from pain in the lower abdomen or the shoulders? Do you suffer from nightmares?” Then he asks for nude pictures of the victim to be able to determine where the jinn is on her body.

Hundreds of victims

Amira recounts how the spiritual healer assures his clients that he has managed to treat more than 900 women, and that if the clients do not comply with his advice and“recommendations”, they will suffer from even more issues and complications in their lives. “Bulga Kahuli assured me that this spiritual intercourse acts as spiritual nourishment so that I could deal with my illness. He also said that I cannot communicate or be in contact with any other man, because he has a number of entities following me. After that, he moved on to the stage of threatening to publicly post the videos he took of me during our sex sessions if I decide to no longer go to him. He also refuses to let go of any client unless she was able to attract another female client in her stead, just like what had happened with my sister who had been persuaded by her classmate to pay him a visit.”

I had my suspicions the moment I met him, but he had his ways to control and delude me into thinking he was dealing with creatures only he could see, that the sexual relations we had are legitimate, and that I was having intercourse with a spiritual being.

In a recorded conversation with a female reporter who posed as a potential client to reveal how ‘Bulga Kahuli’ deals with his victims, the “spiritual healer” gave the caller — after she inquired about how to get rid of the jinn possessing her — his diagnosis: “Your treatment needs 14 sex sessions with the necessary talismans, incantations, and 16 bottles of holly water. The sex sessions will be conducted day after day, or every two days, because I have many female clients. Treatment using spiritual intercourse only differs in the number of sessions and the incantations needed, but it’s the same treatment for every case and ailment.”

Widespread rape…

This case and the way ‘Bulga Kahuli’ exploited his victims is not the first of its kind. On more than one occasion, several ‘spiritual healers’ have been exposed after having used similar methods to sexually exploit female clients under the pretext of exorcising jinn or bringing good fortune, work, and marriage, among other things.

At the end of 2021, a spiritual charlatan claiming to have knowledge of the mystic world and supernatural abilities that undo “magic, witchcraft, and possessions” was arrested. The con man, who claimed to be able to solve problems such as delayed childbearing, deliberately drugged and raped his female clients, with the number of his victims reaching up to five young women. Given the recurrence of such incidents, many questions have been raised about the reasons for believing in these charlatans and going to them, and about the reasons why it is easy to ensnare the victims and trick them.

This case of exploiting victims is not the first of its kind. On more than one occasion, spiritual healers were exposed after having used similar methods to sexually exploit women under the pretext of exorcising jinn or bringing good fortune

The public’s positions varied regarding how the healer sexually exploited his victims in return for a fee. Some Tunisians have argued that this act counts as rape, while others considered it deception and fraud because the intercourse was done with the consent of the victim. However, all agreed on the victims’ lack of awareness.

Sami Nasr, a social psychologist, confirms that the phenomenon of witchcraft and spiritual healing is widespread in Arab countries, and that an Arab study confirmed — through statistical data — that there is one spiritual charlatan for every thousand people, and that the percentage of females who visit these ‘healers’ is 64 percent and that 55 percent of their clients are literate and well-educated.

Speaking to Raseef22, Nasr says that he believes that the motives for the spread of this phenomenon are political, social, and economic, and are linked to the difficulty and complexities of life, which turn sorcery into a sort of refuge for a large portion of society. He indicated that deluding oneself is no longer an ailment or affliction, but has become in recent years “one of the most important defensive mechanisms for Tunisian citizens, especially with the harsh social and economic conditions they are going through.”

Sami Nasr further explains that fraud in these cases is when the victim is robbed of something, but then the victim often refrains from reporting it because Tunisians want to shown in a smart and positive image, and if they do talk about what happened to them, they lose the image they want to be shown in and would thus feel humiliated.”

He adds that the word “deception” in the case of  ‘Bulga Kahuli’ the spiritual healer, is placed between apostrophes, because he did not technically cheat or lie, but rather said what he wanted from the very beginning, which is sex for a particular fee, “Usually in such crimes there is evasion, but Bulga Kahuli was clever in his trickery and kept himself from committing the criminal offence of having sexual intercourse with a female without her consent. He was the even one who was receiving financial compensation for it. Regarding the victims, the saying, ‘He who is ready for something becomes content by the simplest things’ applies to them, that is, the victims had prepared themselves in advance that they may have to have sex with the spiritual healer.”

It should be noted that Tunisian authorities have arrested the spiritual healer, who some are calling the “spiritual rapist”, and that an investigation into his crimes and numerous victims is underway.