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As a child, I was afraid of the Djinn under my bed
Once in the dark, I would run
I was terrified he might grab my leg
And then, as I grew older, I was freed from his power
But one thing still scares me
Others are not free from him yet.
Possessed by a Djinn
The little girl arrived yesterday afternoon
We started the autopsy this morning and learned...
... That her father suffers from behavioral isuues
He has several children,
He has between 8 and 10
The little girl was the youngest
About 2 weeks ago, her family noticed a change
In her behavior
Suddenly, fights had started erupting
Husband and wife were having marital issues
Later, as he was home with his daughter...
He started to think that his daughter was a Djinn
Little Aya used to live here
In a poor suburb of Amman, in Jordan
Here, many people believe in Djinns
But they avoid talking about it
Aya's family won't discuss it with anyone.
I am going to meet a journalist, the only person
the only person who spoke to Aya's mother after the ***
He said that his wife was the devil and his children demons
He started brutally beating his wife and children
The little girl was his favorite, he had never hit her
By the day of the ***...
... he had tied up his wife, beaten her, and the kids as well
His sister managed to restrain him and free his family
But the little girl had stayed behind
He grabbed a knife and cut off her head
He cleaned his hands covered with blood...
... and lit up a cigarette
When the police arrested him he said "why, I killed Satan"
The head rolled on the floor
It has been said that he was possessed by a Djinn
- And that's it - That's all?
The neighborhood, the family, his wife...
... all said he had had a psychological problem.
He must have been possessed by a Djinn
Because he had started predicting events
Like the worsening of the situation in Syria.
Do you think he was really possessed?
Do I believe in it?
The *** of little Aya, 4 years old...
... still haunts me
I got rid of my belief in Djinns a long time ago.
But there is something unrational in this story.
Sheikh, who are the Djinns and what is their role in Islam?
The Djinn is a creation of Allah
Originally, Satan was a Djinn
The Quran says "they say you from places where you can't see them"
The Djinn sees you but you cannot see him
Allah gave the Djinns incredible powers
They have their own conditions
just as we, humans, have our own condition of life
I came to speak to you about a little girl murdered by her father
When the police came to arrest him he said:
"I killed Satan you should thank me"
Is it true?
Maybe...
Was he sick, possessed, or had someone jealous of him
Satan made him believe that his daughter was a Djinn
So he killed her.
I understand
Do you understand?
- so they are very powerful? - Indeed
A woman came to complain that she couldn't sleep without make up
When she is alone she has sex with a Djinn
She sees him as a normal husband
But the rest of us can't see him
He enters the human body like a flow of air
Without her losing her virginity
I try to visualize the Djinn that used to hide under my bed
I am surprised to see how much Istill hate him
Mum you know, sometimes when we had visitors...
Items would break for no reason
Or suddenly the family would become ill
That was a long time ago, before I got closer to Allah
It used to happen often
Just after I got married, I had this kind of issues.
My aunt would take me to a neighbor who would read me the Quran
Often I didn't feel well and she would read it for me
Then, my faith grew stronger and my troubles disappeared
Sometimes, when you really have faith, such a beautiful faith...
... nothing can touch you
Neither the demons in us nor the Djinns
Once in a while, my mother walks around the house with incense,
reciting verses of the Quran, filling the air with musc and smoke
The incense chases the demons away
and attracts angels inside the house.
My mother buys the incense from the herbalist
He sells everything: tea, oils,
even magical ingredients and elixirs
Inside the store, I met a young women
She showed me her house, where she had met with a Djinn
She agreed to talk to me if I wouldn't show her face...
My father used to always chase away the Djinns that would appear
I swear to you on Allah, it was a Djinn
After my marriage, my mother in law made me read the Quran
Starting then, I started to see the Djinn.
He would always come back
Sometimes I would see him during the day
Because of him we couldn't consumate our marriage
Often, issues of appearing Djinns are linked to serious family issues
The only place where people dare speaking out,
is the healer's house
A widow had brought her son
to a séance at the Sheikh Abu Malik's house.
He diagnosed that the boy was possessed by three Djinns
Doctors cannot explain his migraines...
Until they discovered a cursed cushion,
which his grandmother had given him.
my son told me: "there is hair coming out of the cushion!"
so I decided to call the Sheikh
He told me to touch nothing until his arrival.
To break the curse, he recited verses of the Quran
He found needles, and thread, and curses
He even found some white powder
It is part of the black magic
- All this inside the cushion? - Yes
What kind of hair is this?
It's human hair from a woman
The needle was placed here
So that the boy would always be hurting
Why did your mother in law do that to you?
Because of what they owe my children...
The possess land and my children could inferit it
Let me give you something to cover your eyes...
Why does he have to cover them?
Djinns only come when the person has his eyes closed...
so he can hypnotize them, going deep inside their brains.
Praised be Allah, the merciful
In the name of Allah, who is here speaking through him?
A djinn or the devil?
a Djinn
What is your religion?
Islam
Mulsim?
How old are you?
years
Why did you enter the body of Musallam?
We collided accidentally
ok
All muslims don't believe that one can be possessed y a Djinn
The Quran doesn't explicitly say so..
There are controversies on this mysterious topic
In many books, you can find advices
on how to protect yourself against the evil eye, or possession
I don't dare bringing home one of these books
I still have many scary stories of Djinns in my head
and I wake up at night with nightmares
How did Aya's father give way to his demons?
He owned a bakery, but went bankrupt and became unemployed
I met with his best friend, Yussef
Hashim didn't believe in this sort of things
He only had faith in Allah's will, that's all
Why did you forgive him?
I am sure that he wasn't in his normal state...
He used to bring her to work with him
He was very attached to his little girl
From the moment he became unemployed...
he started watching Al-Jazeera 24/7.
He changed
Hashim started talking
about the hour of resurrection
and the day of the final judgment
But he never mentioned the Djinns
He would always talk about political events
As I dive into Aya's father's case,
The Arab world is exorcising the demons of dictatorship and corruption
The people is asking the king for economic and political reforms
Anger grows
ENOUGH WITH OPPRESSION ENOUGH WITH HUNGER
Make your voice heard
We aren't scared even of death
I met with an Iraqi refugee
Learning about my interest for the Djinns,
He invited me into his home to tell me his story
I heard. A bomb.
I would light a cigarette and a car would explode
We were told not to go out.
As soon as I would go out a bomb would explode
At every step, another bomb would explode.
The one responsible for this is a Djinn. Americans send me messages.
All this is because of the Americans
At night I would see the Djinns coming
The came in through the wall or the window
They could get in through a tiny crack in the wall
I asked where they were coming from, they said "Israel"
I went to see Sheikhs, I went to the hospital, nothing worked...
I told the shrink, 99% of it is the Djinn.
I stopped the treatment 4 months ago
It is useless
I don't believe in you, I am stronger than you and I will beat you
I heard that Aya's father had been transfered
In a psychiatric facility
his file is protected by medical secret
but I managed to speak with the clinic's director
Everyday we are confronted with cases
ranging from schizophrenia to recurring mental disorder
Some call it witchcraft. They say "he has been bewitched"
or "he has been touched by the evil eye"
others thins "he is possessed by a Djinn"
it's what many people believe...
There are difficult cases, but it doesn't mean the patient is possessed by a Djinn
the same goes for all types of diseases:
diabetes, sight problems, kidney disease...
In general,
people refuse psychological help
Because mental disorders are very stigmatized
"I shall never marry my daughter to him", "I will never hire him"...
it's cultural
schizophrenia, what we call "madness",
concerns 1 to 1.5% of the population
so there are 90,000 schizophreniacs in Jordan
our clinics offer 600 beds
hospitalization isn't necessary but treatment is mandatory
one of the nurses gives me an information:
Aya's mother visits her husband
and brings him home-cooked meals
she and her family think that this tragedy is a divine challenge
this "challenge" reminds me of an old story...
which always surprised me
Allah wanted to test the faith of the prophet Ibrahim
and asked him to offer his only son, Ismail, as a sacrifice
As Ibrahim is about to slit his son's throat,
Ismail is miraculously replaced by a sheep.
Unfortunately, all of Allah's tests don't have such a happy ending
To the north of Jordan lives a very famous healer
Sheikh Ayesh has 3000 hours of recording
that serve to document his séances
It seems we both have something in common...
Some do not understand that the Djinns, or the angels,
whom we regard as ethereal bodies,
are present in an electromagnetic field
that's the way it is. Invisible things have a vibration and an energy
They change into energy
Spiritual healers use the Reiki,
but they are not muslims
Interior energy is activated by our minds
We have this capacity
It stimulates the subconscious
I have no luck
everytime there comes a prospective husband, the match fails
- How many Sheikhs have you seen? - Two
what powers do you have?
- I fly - you fly?
- you fly and you land? - Yes
- can you fly right now? - yes
- where? - wherever I want
- ask the Djinn to fly - I can't
that's because you are restrained
- who tied you up? - you did
- How? - With the verse of the throne
You can no longer fly?
the demon obeys orders, like a soldier
he visits you in the morning, and at night he moves on to other things
Muhammad teached us that Satan
loves when the demon separates man and wife
and it's the husband who sees the faults in his family
This spoon is huge
Sheikh I wanted to tell you about one case
A man has killed his 4 years old daughter
He thought that she was a Djinn
His family thinks that he was possessed because he is a kind man
Maybe he had a problem and killed in a fit of rage
the prophet Muhammad recommends to avoid anger
but through rage, he grabbed his weapon
and killed the little girl
In that case, Satan controls him
when he kills, it is under Satan's control
If you are just a little angry
What does Satan do?
he feeds this anger, and it can take control over you
That is what happens
- daddy, help me - fine, I'll help you
it's a little too big for him
the Djinns prefer unhabited lands
This is why they often live in the desert
the word "Djinn" comes from the word "Jnana"
it means "to hide", "to dissimulate"
it has the same root as "jonoon"
it means "madness", 'disappearance of the brain"
My ancestors, bedouins from the desert,
believed in the powers of the Djinns lond before the arrival of Islam
And they know exactly how to face them
When you feel that someone is jealous of another person
you take a piece of clothes belonging to that person
and then you burn incense while reading the Quran
And Allah cures him
- you never meet any Sheikhs? No, there are people...
who know the Quran very well
If someone is sick you don't think about the evil eye
you don't send him to see a healer or a Sheikh
There are better things to do
As to the Djinn,
We don't fear him when we walk in the desert at night
If we fear that one of us has met with a Djinn
we recite the Quran and then he is cured
one day, the prophet Muhammad was bewitched
He didn't manage to end the curse
so Allah sent down special verses
in order to protect Muhammad and all muslims
Those verses brought peace to my heart
When I feared to see a Djinn appear,
Mum, why are you off to pray for the rain?
We need the rain, our land has dried up
The rain is beautiful, who doesn't like water?
How do you perform a prayer for the rain?
It's not exactly a prayer, it's a begging
you ask for Allah's help with all your heart
"Oh Allah, bring us the rain, your servants are suffering"
What is a begging?
You implore by raising your arms very high towards the sky
for each one of my accomplishments, my mother congratulates me
and right after that she says...
that her prayers have been answered
I protest, saying that she can't thank herself...
That I owe my success to my efforts, not to her prayers
She tells me that one day I will understand the meaning of prayers
Aya's father's psychiatric records have been released
The result is surprising
The psychiatrists who have been treating him for three months
have concluded...
that he didn't suffer from a mental disorder
After a study on the ground, I have concluded
That it would be better to see a healer rather than a shrink
Psychological disorders can't be cured by psychiatrists
In the Arab world, psychiatry is archaic
They only give you pills
And later on you become addicted
you begin and you end with a form of dependency
That is why I do not recommend to see a shrink
It started when I was working in a bakery
I started to feel things...
with one look I'd make an object fall...
every object I was looking at would fall down
I spoke with a Sheikh. He couldn't help me, so I went to speak to another one
But strange things kept on happening
He boiled some water and poured it over my body
he broke my fingers with a stick
I felt all this, I was hurting...
I must warn you, that you are one of the victims
of these traditional healers
you cannot exorcise a Djinn using such methods
you can only do it with his divine energy
Glory to Allah, there is no other divinity than Allah...
Allah is the greatest, may his will be realized
What is not his will won't be accomplished
I know that Allah is the greatest
He is the master of all things
and is in charge of everything
- Are you a Djinn or a demon? - Azrael
Azrael how old are you?
years!
How long have you been with him?
- One year - Stop - Six... Five
- What religion are you Azrael? - Christian
Very good, so are you a believer?
no
Are you an educated christian?
I am not a believer!
- Are you educated? - no
So how did you manage to penetrate his body?
I use witchcraft
He has answered the propositions and the whispers of the Djinn
But the Djinn has not possessed him
there is a difference between controling with whispers and controlling with possession
when you possess a body, you can cause seizures
When I blow onto the water...
I transfer my energy following the teachings of Muhammad
There is in me, not a Djinn, not Satan...
no jealousy, no witchcraft, only the will of Allah
Satan cannot seduce a believer
Are you stable?
This stability is your natural state
The Djinn will leave you in peace.
We have been taught
that the Djinn stole secrets from paradise
He gave them away to some female psychic
But Allah prevents this
and angels throw shooting stars at the Djinns
I was watchig the sky, lost, and wondered...
if this burning light was a Djinn or a shooting star
When we are alone in the desert
with our herds, sometimes we hear voices...
But around you there is no trace of life, nobody...
It's the Djinn!
The Djinns and I, we are colleagues?
Friends
we leave each other in peace
every time they see a human, they want to play smart
They disguise as your spouse, your wife, in order to deceive us...
One day, I was driving,
Suddenly, a naked human form appeared from between the tires
I lost control of the car...
It wouldn't go left or right, just straight ahead...
It was an indistinct shadow...
Something very big, like a human being but without facial features
and naked.
If you fear the Djinn he will possess you.
But if you have confidence, it doesn't happen.
Djinn isn't able to hurt like human beings can.
It's people, nowadays, who are the monsters.
We hit each other...
We drink, we shout, we argue with out wives...
Djinns have it easy then. It's like holidays for them.
Aya's family has refused to sue the father
And they do not want to meet me
Finally, I get Aya's uncle on the phone...
This event destroyed me. I am her uncle, and it destroyed me
The girl is no longer here.
the mother said "I lost my daughter and my husband"
The girl is no longer here, should she also lose her husband?
Shouldn't a murderer be behind bars?
He has seven sons who drive their mum crazy
On top of Aya he has seven sons?
Yes
How do they drive her mad?
She can't take care of the boys on her own
It's different when a father is there
Would you prefer your sister to live with her husband rather than without him?
She has 7 sons...
She is not a young girl who can just remarry.
It's not about the husband, but she has seven sons
I pity her a lot
For a year she has been running in every direction
Why does she visit him every week?
It's her husband, she loves him...
All family members, even on the mother's side
They say that Aya's father had never committed a mistake
They have forgiven him, saying that he was sick, which is not true
According to the doctors he wasn't sick...
Being bewitched, is that a disease?
Did this curse disappear after the crime?
I don't know
The father may be a victim of social pressure
He didn't have a job, could this be a reason?
Thousands are unemployed in the country, who have a family...
Are they killing their children?
Does his wife love him so much...
that she supports him blindly?
He used to tie them up and beat them, she and the children...
But she went on cooking for him and eating with him
Do women learn, as children, to endure beatings,
To respect the one who beats them
and to love him?
is her love for him stronger than her love for ther daughter?
We live in strange times, we can go on the moon,
but women accept to be beaten up and humiliated
A man shouldn't strike the one he loves, not even with flowers
All this humiliation, that isn't love
It's a strange way of being in love.
Something strange is happening in me
I wake up every night
at 4 in the morning
I discussed it with the Sheikh
He said it was at that time that the devil comes to visit us
They are angry because I am messing with their business
That is why they terrify me
Aya's terrible story still haunts me
Her father was once again declared sane.
After spending 7 months in a psychiatric hospital
the doctors' only explanation,
is that he experienced a one time psychological disorder
I am taken aback by the similarities
between his disorder, and being possessed by a Djinn
This can happen suddenly, to anyone, at any time.
On a full moon night,
I decide to go meet with Sheikh Ayesh
I couldn't say what I was expecting
in front of his little camera
As you recite the Quran, the palm of your hand should face your foot's chakra
Bring it forward some more
Your fingers should stick together
say "in the name of Allah", breathe in and breathe out
We will recite a healing prayer
For a long time, he was reciting verses of the Quran for me
Telling me I was cursed with a malevolent force
His hypnotizing tone forced me to go deep inside myself
Nobody has the right to take me there
Nobody, except for me, and the people I love
I can keep on reciting verses to protect you even when you are far
Not everyone can do it, you have to be close to Allah
Do you have to love that person?
You are the fruit of my womb, which is the strongest tie there is.
Mum, I want to cry
Even if you don't believe in it,
There is a bond between us, a bond of love
I give you positive energy
As if we let the air go out of a bottle to let new air in
- Now come on get up - Mum, stay!
RIGHTS ARE NOT A ROYAL FAVOR
Jordanians go on protesting against corruption
To appease his people, king Abdallah has enacted some reforms
He has announced a royal pardon
to many prisoners
As Aya's father had not been charged with first degree ***,
And since his family hadn't sued him
He was pardoned by the king.
Long live the king!
One, Two, We love you Abu Hussein
Long live the king!
what is that scandalous news?
Aya's father has returned into his wife's arms
The murderer has been freed from prison.
- Congratulations for your husband's return - thank you
-How are you? - Fine
I am Feryal Belbeisi do you remember?
yes
I am very glad that he was released in good health
My husband is a good man, it was a test from Allah
I thank Allah for everything
My husband is doing well, my family has helped,
My brother has brought a cake to celebrate!
I didn't have a cake...
No one hates him. His friends, his family, all support him.
Very well.
Goodbye
Did you record this? Did you hear her?
THE BIRDS OF PARADISE
These children go to the pre-school of Aya's suburb
They learn many things, including verses of the Quran
Before reading, the children must recite.
"I seek refuge next to Allah against Satan, the evil one"
In the name of Allah, the merciful
Some children will wonder "who is this evil Satan?"
Why talk about him before reciting the Quran?
As they grow older, they will search.
And one day they may fight him to claim their freedom