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'Ultimate Oath' Ends East Java Black Magic Spat
September 15, 2009

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Aman in Banyuwangi, East Java, performed a traditional “ultimate oath” ritual to prove his innocence after being accused of using black magic to kill a relative, tvOne reported on Friday.

Rahmatulloh was accused by a relative, Pon, whose son, Hamid, died after displaying what Pon described as “weird symptoms.”

Despite Rahmatulloh’s continued denials, the hostility between the two grew so bad that neighbors were prompted to step in and seek a solution.

After some persuasion by fellow villagers, Rahmatulloh agreed to take the ultimate oath ritual, known as sumpah pocong. The ritual is commonly used in parts of the country as a kind of traditional lie-detector test.

During the ritual, a person alleged to have committed a crime is swathed in a type of white cloth used in Muslim burials and then swears his or her innocence.

People believe that if the accused lies, he or she will die or suffer some other severe consequence such as a chronic disease.

The ritual took place in the village mosque on Wednesday. Footage from the ceremony, which lasted 15 minutes, was aired by tvOne.

After Rahmatulloh was wrapped in the white cloth, he laid down on the mosque floor and said the vow, guided by the village’s religious leader.

When nothing dramatic happened to Rahmatulloh, the village head declared the feud over between the two men and life in the village should return to normal.

Jakarta Globe