Religious Healing Methods among Muslims in the Netherlands

Abstract

In search for Islamic healers, inquiries made at mosques and Islamic organizations revealed a striking contradiction. In these places, it is generally said that the activities of these healers have nothing to do with Islam. Direct contact with Islamic healers through healthcare workers, however, revealed that they themselves are of the opinion that what they do fits fully in the Islamic tradition. In actual practice, the formal taboo on Islamic healing methods is often ignored at the informal level.