The belief that evil spirits can possess humans has been popularised by both Hollywood and your grandmother.
Tales as old as time spoke of exorcism as a part of virtually every religion; They’re also featured in mass media via various movies such as 1973’s The Exorcist, 2016’s The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund and many more.
On Twitter, @vocativ shared an exorcism of a different kind, featuring footage of people undergoing exorcism to purge their ‘gay’ demons in Padang, Indonesia.
The tweet wrote “These Muslim clerics are doing exorcisms on LGBTQ people to ‘cure’ them… and it looks terrifying.”
These Muslim clerics are doing exorcisms on LGBTQ people to 'cure' them… and it looks terrifying pic.twitter.com/YE3ERB08me
— Vocativ (@vocativ) November 28, 2018
The video, which witnessed various individuals go through the so-called “treatment” is said to soon funded by the nation’s taxpayers.
Unbelievable but true, Indonesia’s LGBTQ exorcism is far more than just a cult following.
But netizens were far from convinced that such treatment is meant to be the “cure”, and some condemned the video for putting Islam to shame.
Source: Twitter
One wrote “This is a whole lie. The fact that the video created used Islam in a derogatory way is disgusting.”
Source: Twitter
While another replied, “But I live in Indonesia. And this is true. This is happening here.”
To understand more about the LGBTQ exorcism, the New Naratif published an article focusing on the LGBTQ exorcism as a way for people to “solve their homosexuality problems.”
Led by an Ustadz, known as an expert in the field of Ruqyah, it is said that the treatment can be used for anything from health problems, failed businesses, struggling relationships and homosexuals; as according to Ruqyah expert Rudiawan Sitorus are “caused by the same demons”.
Source: New Naratif
“I believe that LGBTQ behaviour is a sickness and that it’s caused by a physical and mental disturbance from jinns (demons) who have succeeded in controlling the patient’s body.”
“Therefore we read short verses from the Quran and the hadiths, which we believe will make the jinn which controls the patient afraid making them leave the patient’s body.”
He adds that the acts of slapping the patient hard are with the purpose of getting the jinn to leave the body.
“The jinn likes to hide in the arteries.
“So I have to pull them out by massaging the circulatory system of the patient.”
Source: Mentalfloss.com
Laughable as it may seem, one cannot deny the impact of such “treatments” and the lifelong trauma they can cause to victims. It’s clear that LGBTQ people become easy targets due to the stigma that they face in Indonesian society.
For the LGBTQ community in Indonesia facing persecution, these exorcisms only seem to make it worse!
Religion is not an excuse to slap your buddies OK?
Also read: Indonesian City Wants to Fine LGBT Residents RM290 Each for Being Public Nuisance
