By Tim Binnall
Authorities in Iraq arrested a whopping 48 people accused of illegally practicing witchcraft. The suspected sorcerers were reportedly taken into custody as part of a sweeping crackdown on the proverbial dark arts on the part of the country's Ministry of Interior. In detailing the arrests earlier this week, the agency indicated that the two-week-long operation was conducted in coordination with Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, which sought to put an end to "these dangerous phenomena" that "pose a direct threat to social peace, ethical values, and the rule of law."
The 48 men and women, who were arrested by federal agents in Baghdad and surrounding areas, stand accused of "practicing sorcery while claiming to offer spiritual healing or solutions to family problems." Should those swept up in the literal witch hunt be convicted of "exploiting people's beliefs in magic for financial gain," they could face a possible five-year prison sentence under Iraqi law. The recent arrests are in keeping with similar efforts to squash sorcery in the Middle East and Central Asia as both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have taken aim at the practice in the past year.