Ruqya industry thrives because people are told lies

I was sitting at the harbor café when I overheard two women talking about taking their cousin for ruqya. The desperation in their voices was familiar – that same tone you hear when people have tried everything else and are clutching at whatever hope remains. We've all known someone who's been to a ruqya practitioner, spending money they barely have on promises of supernatural cures. What hurts most is watching how easily our people are swayed by those who wrap deception in religious language. They prey on the vulnerable, on mothers worried about their children's nightmares, on families struggling with mental health issues they don't understand. We're an island people who've always believed in both the seen and unseen worlds, but now that faith is being weaponized against us. The truth is, many of us know modern medicine could help. We've seen relatives find relief through proper treatment, their anxiety or depression easing with professional care. Yet the ruqya practitioners continue to flourish, their businesses growing while our trust in each other diminishes. When did we become so susceptible to these scams dressed in piety? There's a quiet shame that follows these encounters – not for seeking help, but for realizing you've been deceived by someone claiming spiritual authority. It creates a rift in our communities, between those who cling to traditional healing and those who advocate for evidence-based care. Both sides claim moral high ground, while the suffering continue suffering. Perhaps what we're really wrestling with is our relationship with modernity itself. The ocean that once isolated us now connects us to global knowledge, yet we remain trapped between old beliefs and new understandings. The ruqya industry thrives in this gap, feeding on our uncertainties and the space between what our grandparents believed and what science reveals. We need to find our own path forward – one that honors our spiritual traditions without abandoning reason, that cares for mental health with both compassion and evidence. The solution isn't rejecting our heritage, but protecting our community from those who would exploit it for profit. Our strength has always been in looking out for one another, and that means being honest about what truly heals.