Concern over bomohs

Star: PETALING JAYA: Their help is sought for all kinds of problems – when illnesses refuse to go away, one's fortune is down or even in choosing a life partner.
When other remedies do not seem to work, Malaysians have a tendency to turn to their resident spiritual healers like the bomohs and mediums.
Spiritual healing has become a thriving industry but unregulated, it has also become open to abuse.
A number of rape cases have been reported – the most recent being a woman patient who had to sleep with a medium 51 times to rid her illness and paying him between RM20 and RM50 for each “ritual”.
There have also been numerous reports of bomohs, mediums or bogus priests making off with large amounts of cash, valuables or jewellery after promising to make their clients well or prosperous.
In the wake of such abuses, the Government has been urged to set up an authority to monitor the activities of these “practitioners”.
Former Malaysian Islamic Development Department chief assistant director Uztaz Abdul Hamid Yunus suggested that the regulating body be a part of the Islamic authority or come under the Health Ministry.
“If the authorities are able to register those qualified to deliver Islamic lectures, then there is no reason they can't do the same with practitioners of traditional medicine.
“This is a Government responsibility. They shouldn't wait until Muslims seek treatment with sorcerers and the belief system crumbles,” he said.
He added that people sought bomohs because they were impatient or ignorant.
“They don't bother about aqidah (Islamic belief system) as long as they get the desired results. This is a huge mistake,” said Abdul Hamid.
Islamic scholar Uztaz Ismail Kamus believes that it is haram to let a male bomoh massage a female patient, even in the presence of her family members.
“A massage involves touching parts of the body. A male massaging a female patient is only allowed in situations of emergency where there is no other female available who could do it.”
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong has come across many complaints against “spiritual” practitioners in the course of his work.
“One medium told a woman that she could be 'cured' of uterus cancer but she had to have sex with him.
“In another case, a medium had sex with both mother and daughter who sought his help.
“It does not make a difference whether the women are educated or illiterate. Sometimes, I am surprised that the victims landed themselves in such situations," he added.
While some cases are reported, it is believed that there are many more victims who chose to suffer in silence due to the fear of embarrassment.