Bandar Seri Begawan - A former Imam from the Ministry of Religious Affairs reminded Muslims in the Sultanate not to approach non-Muslim traditional healers or bomohs to cure ailments of spiritual nature as it is against Islamic teachings.
In Islam there is a guideline for Muslims to approach bomohs in their search for cure which cannot be provided by modern medicines, he said.
"Muslims must only visit Muslim bomohs who practice Muslims‘ way of life.
"Bomohs must not incorporate methodologies that are against the teachings of Islam such as practicing black magic," he said.
The former Imam approached the Bulletin as he was worried to see that some Muslims have visited non-Muslim bomohs to find cures for unexplainable ailments.
He added the non-Muslim bomohs came from neighbouring countries and were famous amongst the circles of their countrymen.
"It is my duty to inform Muslims about this. For more details on guidelines, Muslims can go to the relevant department at the Ministry of Religious Affairs," he said.
Meanwhile, an academician said traditional healers or bomohs remain indispensable to the Malay society even in the modern age of medicine.
"The bomoh‘s expertise must be seen on a positive note as it is based on a repository of knowledge that had expanded generations after generations. A major portion of the Malay medicine can be found in the ‘tib‘ literature that provides the remedies for the ailments," he said.
The Malay traditional healing methods should not be cast aside, but instead should be studied to see whether it could play a complementary role to the modern medication available in the country, he added.
He noted that though the traditional healing methods are no longer convincing in the current perspective, it‘s still deeply embedded in the Malay psyche.
"Whether we like it or not, we can‘t run away from the fact that it‘s our heritage," he said.
Source: www.brudirect.com (28 Desember 2007)
