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Heart and Soul: Possession, Jinn and Britain's Backstreet Exorcists

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Possession, Jinn and Britain's Backstreet Exorcists

04/05/2013 GMT

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, Possession, Jinn and Britain's Backstreet Exorcists

Catrin Nye explores the exorcisms taking place in Britain's South Asian communities.

Catrin Nye explores the world of the Jinn and the exorcisms that take place in the South Asian communities of the UK and how they are used to fight mental illnesses.

Jinn are spirits that some Muslims believe can enter the body before taking it over. New research in the United Kingdom has highlighted how people from South Asian communities in the UK are blaming the supernatural - concepts like Jinn - for mental health problems. Catrin Nye explores why exorcists are treating mental illnesses with spiritual cures and some British Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus turn to healers rather than doctors or psychiatrists. There is real concern that people aren’t getting proper treatment for their illnesses because of pressure to take the spiritual route and that the healers are operating without any regulation. She is also allowed to attend a number of exorcisms.

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