How the UAE Polices Claims of Black Magic

Introduction

The United Arab Emirates treats claims of black magic primarily as questions of law, fraud and public order rather than as matters requiring the state to determine whether supernatural powers exist. Police, customs officers and courts focus on conduct that can be proved: deceptive schemes that take money from victims, the import or possession of prohibited items associated with sorcery, unlawful advertising of magical services, privacy offences committed in the course of supposed rituals, and other criminal acts. At the same time, officials avoid presenting supernatural claims themselves as legal evidence. This approach reflects a combination of criminal law, customs regulation, consumer protection and public messaging rather than an attempt by the state to verify occult phenomena.[UAE Legislation]uaelegislation.gov.aeUAE LegislationUnited Arab Emirates Legislations | Federal Law by Decree Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties LawJuly 1, 2026…Published: July 1, 2026

Customs seizures and banned objects

One of the UAE’s most visible responses comes at its borders. Dubai Customs and other customs authorities regularly announce the seizure of objects they classify as associated with witchcraft or black magic. These have included talismans, amulets, books claiming to teach magical practices, animal bones and skins, vials of blood or unidentified liquids, needles, strings, powders and similar objects that officials say are intended for sorcery. Customs officers treat these as prohibited imports rather than attempting to assess whether they possess supernatural properties.[dubaicustoms.gov.ae]dubaicustoms.gov.aeDubai CustomsnewsdetailsFebruary 15, 2015…Published: February 15, 2015

The legal basis is not simply a religious objection. GCC customs rules, reflected in UAE customs practice, prohibit items considered inconsistent with Islamic beliefs and public morals, while UAE customs law allows prohibited goods to be confiscated and destroyed. Dubai Customs has repeatedly stated that attempts to import such materials are handled as customs smuggling offences, after which the seized objects are transferred to the relevant authorities.[Dubai Customs]dubaicustoms.gov.aeDubai CustomsnewsdetailsNovember 21, 2012…Published: November 21, 2012

Official announcements also illustrate how enforcement works in practice. Rather than claiming to detect magic itself, customs officers describe relying on X-ray screening, baggage inspection, behavioural observation and intelligence-led searches. In 2022, for example, Dubai Customs publicised the interception of a traveller who had hidden talismans and other prohibited objects beneath his clothing. The case was presented as successful customs enforcement, not proof of supernatural activity.[The National]thenationalnews.comOpen source on thenationalnews.com.

Fraud investigations and court cases

Inside the country, police investigations normally focus on fraud and deception. A common pattern involves individuals advertising themselves as spiritual healers or practitioners of black magic who promise to restore relationships, remove curses, solve financial problems or cure illnesses in exchange for substantial payments. The criminal issue is the dishonest exploitation of vulnerable people rather than whether magical claims are true.[UAE Legislation]uaelegislation.gov.aeUAE LegislationUnited Arab Emirates Legislations | Federal Law by Decree Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties LawJuly 1, 2026…Published: July 1, 2026

The UAE’s Crimes and Penalties Law specifically criminalises several activities connected with magic and trickery. These include seeking another person’s assistance in acts of magic or trickery intended to influence someone else, importing or possessing books, materials or tools designated for such practices, and promoting magical services. The legislation authorises confiscation of the relevant materials and, in some circumstances, deportation of foreign offenders after conviction.[UAE Legislation]uaelegislation.gov.aeUAE LegislationUnited Arab Emirates Legislations | Federal Law by Decree Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties LawJuly 1, 2026…Published: July 1, 2026

Modern prosecutions show that courts often deal with black magic allegations alongside more conventional offences. In one widely reported Fujairah case, a man received a prison sentence after paying practitioners of sorcery in an attempt to influence his estranged wife while also committing privacy offences by sharing private photographs without permission. The court’s decision rested on identifiable criminal conduct supported by evidence, not on judicial findings that supernatural intervention had actually occurred. Confiscation and destruction of the seized materials formed part of the judgment.[The Times of India]timesofindia.indiatimes.comThe man paid Dh30,000 to sorcerers in an attempt to win back his wife. The Fujairah Court of Appeal upheld the original verdict, which al…

This distinction is important. A person cannot ordinarily obtain a conviction simply by asserting that they have been bewitched. Police instead require evidence of identifiable offences such as fraud, unlawful possession of prohibited materials, deception, privacy violations or related criminal acts.

Why the authorities emphasise provable harm

The UAE’s enforcement model reflects two overlapping concerns.

First, officials regard commercial black magic services as a form of exploitation. Victims are often persuaded to hand over money, jewellery or personal information after being told that they are cursed or require expensive rituals. Police therefore frame many investigations as protecting consumers from deception rather than settling religious questions.[UAE Legislation]uaelegislation.gov.aeUAE LegislationUnited Arab Emirates Legislations | Federal Law by Decree Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties LawJuly 1, 2026…Published: July 1, 2026

Second, customs and prosecutors present black magic-related materials as a public-order issue. Official statements frequently describe them as incompatible with Islamic beliefs and capable of encouraging fraud or manipulation. Whether an individual personally believes in supernatural forces is therefore distinct from the state’s concern with regulating commercial practices and prohibited imports.[Dubai Customs]dubaicustoms.gov.aeDubai CustomsnewsdetailsNovember 21, 2012…Published: November 21, 2012

Rumour control and public messaging

Government messaging generally avoids validating sensational rumours about widespread occult threats. Instead, authorities publicise successful seizures, arrests and prosecutions to demonstrate that complaints of fraud or illegal imports are being addressed through ordinary legal processes. Public announcements emphasise confiscated objects, investigative methods and applicable laws rather than claiming to prove magical powers.[Dubai Customs]dubaicustoms.gov.aeDubai CustomsnewsdetailsFebruary 15, 2015…Published: February 15, 2015

Media coverage can nevertheless amplify public anxiety. Stories describing hidden amulets, strange objects discovered in homes or alleged curses periodically circulate on social media and in local discussion forums. These episodes often reveal the persistence of popular beliefs among some communities, but they do not necessarily result in criminal proceedings unless there is evidence of fraud, prohibited imports or another offence recognised in law. This distinction helps explain why many rumours remain social controversies rather than court cases.[The National]thenationalnews.comOpen source on thenationalnews.com.

What this tells us about the UAE’s wider response

The UAE’s approach differs from historical witch hunts or legal systems that attempted to prove supernatural crimes. Modern authorities neither conduct investigations to establish whether magic “works” nor treat unexplained events as criminal evidence in themselves. Instead, they regulate conduct that can be documented through witnesses, seized materials, financial records, customs inspections and other conventional forms of proof.

Within the broader history of collective fears in the UAE, allegations of black magic therefore sit closer to fraud prevention, customs enforcement and public-order regulation than to episodes of mass persecution. Belief in sorcery continues to exist in parts of society, but the state’s response is largely administrative and legal: intercept prohibited objects, prosecute deceptive practices, confiscate unlawful materials and rely on ordinary criminal evidence rather than supernatural claims.[uaelegislation.gov.ae]uaelegislation.gov.aeUAE LegislationUnited Arab Emirates Legislations | Federal Law by Decree Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties LawJuly 1, 2026…Published: July 1, 2026

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Further Reading

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Endnotes

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Link:https://www.uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1529?keyword=penal

Published: July 1, 2026

2. Source: dubaicustoms.gov.ae
Title: Dubai Customs Prohibited and Restricted Goods
Link:https://www.dubaicustoms.gov.ae/en/mobile/Pages/ProhibitedandRestrictedGoods.aspx

Published: July 10, 2026

3. Source: dubaicustoms.gov.ae
Title: Dubai Customsnewsdetails
Link:https://www.dubaicustoms.gov.ae/en/mobile/pages/newsdetails.aspx?itemid=610

Published: February 15, 2015

4. Source: thenationalnews.com
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2022/07/25/man-caught-attempting-to-smuggle-black-magic-items-into-dubai/

5. Source: dubaicustoms.gov.ae
Title: Dubai Customsnewsdetails
Link:https://www.dubaicustoms.gov.ae/en/mobile/pages/newsdetails.aspx?itemid=308

Published: November 21, 2012

6. Source: adcustoms.gov.ae
Title: Abu Dhabi Customs Restricted and Prohibited Goods
Link:https://www.adcustoms.gov.ae/Policies-and-Regulations/Restricted-Banned-Commodities

7. Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Link:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/uae-man-jailed-for-paying-dh30000-to-sorcerers-and-sharing-wifes-private-photos-to-win-her-back/articleshow/121928849.cms

8. Source: uaelegislation.gov.ae
Link:https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1529%26quot

9. Source: uaelegislation.gov.ae
Link:https://uaelegislation.gov.ae/ar/legislations/1529?keyword=%D8%A8%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A9+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A1

10. Source: thenationalnews.com
Title: Man accused of smuggling snake into Dubai in ‘black magic’ plot | The National
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/2024/03/12/man-accused-of-smuggling-snake-into-dubai-in-black-magic-plot/

11. Source: moj.gov.ae
Title: النيابة العامة للدولة الحبس والغرامة للسحر والشعوذة.aspx
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12. Source: thenationalnews.com
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/courts/dubai-customs-seize-68kg-of-black-magic-contraband-including-bones-and-blood-1.1223627

13. Source: thenationalnews.com
Title: Abu Dhabi Police issue warning over ‘black magic’ fraudsters | The National
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/abu-dhabi-police-issue-warning-over-black-magic-fraudsters-1.957067

14. Source: gulfnews.com
Title: Dubai Customs seizes black magic goods
Link:https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-customs-seizes-black-magic-goods-1.1457350

15. Source: thenationalnews.com
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/dubai-customs-foil-13-attempts-to-smuggle-black-magic-items-in-the-country-1.675464

16. Source: dubaicustoms.gov.ae
Link:https://www.dubaicustoms.gov.ae/ar/mobile/pages/newsdetails.aspx?itemid=610

17. Source: thenationalnews.com
Title: Ignorance is basis of sorcery’s lure: experts | The National
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/courts/ignorance-is-basis-of-sorcery-s-lure-experts-1.502433

18. Source: thenationalnews.com
Title: Don’t let fraudsters hold you spellbound, says GEA | The National
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/don-t-let-fraudsters-hold-you-spellbound-says-gea-1.529304?videoId=5754807360001

19. Source: thenationalnews.com
Link:https://www.thenationalnews.com/2021/06/29/na17-dubai-customs-black-magic/

20. Source: uaemc.gov.ae
Link:https://uaemc.gov.ae/en/faq/

Additional References

21. Source: youtube.com
Title: I CAUGHT Scammers Preying on Tourists in Dubai! (Herbal Hair Loss Scam)
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mo6jQN3U7Q

22. Source: youtube.com
Title: Moein Al Bastaki’s eventful story of magic and entertainment | Faridoon Shahryar
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJrYrXV-cME

23. Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGbZTqF8Yb8

24. Source: youtube.com
Title: Dubai Police Arrests A Woman For Using Witchcraft Talismans
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlmefdmu8CE

25. Source: gulfnews.com
Title: UA E Public Prosecution warns against acts of sorcery and witchcraft
Link:https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/ask-us/uae-public-prosecution-warns-against-acts-of-sorcery-and-witchcraft-1.1621876292425

26. Source: gulfnews.com
Title: Passenger caught with ‘black magic’ items in Dubai airport
Link:https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/passenger-caught-with-black-magic-items-in-dubai-airport-1.89503004

27. Source: gulfnews.com
Title: Dubai foils attempts to smuggle witchcraft items
Link:https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-foils-attempts-to-smuggle-witchcraft-items-1.79233525

28. Source: youtube.com
Title: UAE National Fraud Awareness Campaign: Sim Swap Fraud
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeV1A8d6kHw