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Spirit Possession Essay

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possession by supernatural beings. (Islam) Muslim communities are especially targets to mental illness in present society due to factors such as Islamophobia, social isolation and exclusion, in addition to marginalization. Due to Islam’s holistic approach to healing, many turn to Qur’anic healing as a guide to resolve their physical maladies and mental illness. It is important to note that belief in supernatural phenomenon is not mutually exclusive with Islam, for it’s origins can be traced back to paganism. In religious texts throughout the world there has been a connection between the words ‘madness’ and ‘spirit-possession’ in scripture. The belief in supernatural beings including magic and witchcraft are accepted by well-educated individuals in Africa as well as those who are from lower socioeconomic classes and illiterate. Zar, which is technically prohibited on the grounds of it being a Pagan practice, is used in place of psychiatric …show more content…

For men, spirit possession acts as a mechanism to oppress women, ensuring they remain in their rightful societal hierarchies. This creates the line dividing both exorcism and adorcism, one of which promotes spirit possession as a means of cathartic release for women. However, exorcism is much preferred by men because it puts a complete stop to the spirit possession, not allowing for it to continue. Allowing women to participate in spirit possession ceremonies would be allotting them some sense of control and eliminating this act allows for men to remain in control of society. Adorcism is not evident in all Muslim communities that have strong belief in spiritual possession. Since these two acts are dialectically antithetical processes, exorcism can exist independently, forbidding the counterreaction of adorcism. Specifically seen in the Malay Muslim community, there is no instance of adorcism in regard to women and spirit

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