türkçe links to original Turkish article
(Milliyet Newspaper, 3 August 2021)
about another one.
A self-proclaimed Iraqi "healer" named Molla Ali Kalak, also know as
"Mala Ali Kürdistani", came to Turkey and opened an office where he
"healed" people by smacking their feet with a bat (!). With some 50
"patients" waiting at his door, the office was sealed by the police. Mala
Ali is being sought.
Mala Ali Kürdistani was arrested in Saudi Arabia and then released. He
opened an office in Başakşehir, Istanbul, and via social media attracted
hundreds of people to come for "treatment". However, when families
who brought their autistic children to Mala Ali Kürdistani for healing saw
his methods they complained and one of them recorded the "treatment" on
a cellphone camera, showing one of Kürdistani's assistant smacking the
child's feet with a bat.
Not just for Catholic school students anymore.
According to information obtained by DHA (news agency), for many
days people from various provinces and foreign countries, including
the USA, gathered in front of Kürdistani's Başakşehir office early in the
morning. There was no sign for the office but, nevertheless, Kürdistani's
assistants took the prospective patients' names and phone numbers.
The assistants told those waiting that only a few would be able to see
Kürdistani right away, so they would be called when an opening arose.
Nevertheless, those waiting would not leave the front of the office.
Tools of the trade.
After complaints were made to the public prosecutor, Başakşehir police
along with health teams, raided Kürdistani's office but he himself was not
there. Police found bats, wood parts and a stretcher thought to have
been used in the "treatment", along with many books with photos of
Kürdistani in them. In addition, certificates in the name of Ali Mahmood
Hasan Goran were found in the office, which was determined by health
officials to have no authority or license for providing health services.
There was, though, a sign behind the entrance counter that read "Beauty
salon services: skin car, eyebrow removal gel, etc." The 300 TL cash
in the office safe was confiscated by police.
While the police were inside the office, at the front door Kürdistani's
supporters and complainants engaged in arguments. One supporter
declared that "perhaps he'll give us health. Why would you complain
about that?" A person with an autistic child shouted about Kürdistani
"he has knowledge and science. What about you?" He then tried to take
off the (COVID) masks of some of those waiting for Kürdistani.
In any event, the police and health officials wrote up a report about
their findings and had local officials seal the site. This prompted those
waiting outside to leave. Three people in the office were taken to the
Başakşehir police station to give statements, after which they were
released. Efforts to apprehend Kürdistani are continuing.
The requisite "seal of approval".
Mustafa Kaplan explained why he went to Kürdistani's office: "I have
an autistic child. I heard that this man Mala Ali Kürdistani had come to
Turkey and was healing people in Başakşehir. We know that such methods
wouldn't do anything for autistic children but we wanted to see how he was
healing people. When we entered the office I saw that the so-called holy
man was holding a child's heads and reading some things. After that, the
holy man took the child to another room and began to hit the child's feet
with a 40-centimeter (15-inch) bat. Subsequently, the holy man told the
family that this treatment would continue for a year so the child would
have to come every two months for a check-up. This is how the so-called
holy man provides treatment and he gets 200 TL for it."
Another person with an autistic child, Filiz Dorğu, said she had come
across such "hope-sellers" many times: "This time our 'hope-seller' was
Mala Ala Kürdistani who came from abroad. He was run out of his own
country (Iraq) and arrested in Saudi Arabia. He continued in Uzbekistan.
He has many followers on social media and a lot of people believe him."
Continuing, Filiz hanım said that "I took my child to this man for treatment.
He wanted 200 TL. Then I saw him smack the feet of another family's
child. He wrote a prescription for the child and said he would provide
instructions over an instant messaging system."
One person who argued with the complainants declared that "no one can
mess with my beliefs. If I want to believe in someone I will. He may
very well have healed the child!"
Another person said he came to get medicine from Kürdistani, explaining
that "we went to see Kürdistani. My child wasn't hearing so I brought my
child to him in Iraq. We were going to go to Iraq again but the pandemic
started so we couldn't go. Anyway, Kürdistani looked at my child and
gave us an appointment for two months later. For the treatment, he read
some prayers first, then pulled my child's ears and hit him on the back
with a bat. He wrote a prescription so I came to get it but he's not here.
The others ahead of me paid 1,400 for the medicine. I don't know what
the medicine is but it's something like holiday candy."
One step ahead of the police.
