ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s interior ministry announced on Tuesday the arrest of 48 individuals, both men and women, across several provinces for engaging in “witchcraft and sorcery,” in a campaign that saw the direct backing of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council.
The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) cited the ministry as stating that “the arrest was made by the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency [FIIA], specifically the Directorate for Combating Human Trafficking, over a period of two weeks.”
The campaign targeted locations in Baghdad and other provinces “where witchcraft and sorcery were practiced in Baghdad and other provinces” the ministry said, adding that “those arrested were involved in human trafficking, exploiting victims through fraudulent and deceptive means,” and “practicing sorcery while claiming to offer spiritual healing or solutions to family problems.”
The operation was conducted with the direct support of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, which “emphasized the importance of combating these dangerous phenomena, as they intersect with human trafficking crimes and pose a direct threat to social peace, ethical values, and the rule of law.”
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were involved in extortion, deception, and psychological and physical exploitation of victims, particularly women and children, in blatant violation of human rights and dignity.
FIIA affirmed that this campaign is “part of the national strategy to combat human trafficking,” stressing that “the effective coordination with [Iraq’s] Supreme Judicial Council contributed to accelerating judicial procedures and bringing the perpetrators to justice.”
Under Iraq’s Penal Code, witchcraft and sorcery are addressed under fraud Article 456, which punishes anyone who profits from fraudulent practices, including exploiting people's beliefs in magic for financial gain, with penalties of up to five years in prison.
Civil society organizations in Iraq have long warned about the growing prevalence of witchcraft and sorcery in the country. Many Iraqis seek these services, which, they argue, contribute to social and security issues.
A 2012 Pew Research Center survey found that belief in witchcraft exists among a substantial number of Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa.
In Iraq, 55 percent of Muslims surveyed said they believed in witchcraft, evil eye as well as supernatural beings.
Of note, in Islam, the majority view considers witchcraft sacrilegious, as it may involve associating others with God, a concept known in Arabic as ‘Shirk.’ The latter is regarded as the gravest sin in Islamic theology, as it undermines the fundamental belief in the oneness of God.
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