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an. 18, Online

In his new book, published Friday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono claims that he and his family had almost fallen victim to witchcraft.

In the book, entitled Selalu Ada Pilihan (There is Always a Choice), Yudhoyono tells the story of  how he and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono had to fight dark clouds hovering inside their house in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java.

Yudhoyono wrote that during one Sunday morning prior to the 2009 election, his wife was reading a magazine in the living room while he was busy in the library.

Your comments:

There are lots of books that explain black magic logically. Several religions also explain it. For instance, Christianity views that black magic is related to Satanism.

Islam also explains magic in some chapters of the Koran. However, there are also many scholars who don'€™t believe in black magic. Black magic is a controversial issue.

I believe that SBY wanted to share his experience only.

Akbar Hutasuhut

Mr. President, such things are not discussed in public. You are not just a person but are the president and supreme commander of the Republic of Indonesia! And if I understand correctly, Muslims do not believe or practice black magic. Get a hold of yourself.

Malam

An old car spewed out black smoke in the wrong direction. Anyway, witchcraft and black magic do exist and are practiced in the West, believe it or not.

Haunted houses are also common. It also depends on the individual'€™s perception and sensitivity. But invisible forces (good and bad) do exist and live among the living and know no boundaries.

Moonriver

Stop embarrassing yourself, Mr. President!

Epi

A large percentage of the Indonesian population believes in black magic. Witchcraft that is against Islamic teachings includes fortune-telling, spells and inheritance of black magic practices. Witchcraft or sorcery practices may lead to a Muslim committing syirik, the deification or worship of anyone or anything other than the Almighty God.

Unfortunately, Muslims, like any other people, can fall into temptation and seek help by using black magic even though it'€™s strictly forbidden.

The Indonesian government is currently considering adding a law to the country'€™s Criminal Code that would outlaw witchcraft, but it has not been passed. Internationally, a number of countries have outlawed witchcraft, even the UK.

Faith in the unseen world created by God is a required element of faith in Islam. Among the creatures of the unseen are angels and demons. Most people can'€™t see them in their original form. Angels are made of light and demons of fire so they can take on a variety of forms.

Some people say they cannot see but can feel the presence of these entities through their sixth sense. Islam'€™s belief in the unseen world is similar to Christianity and Judaism. The use of black magic is forbidden in Islam as it is associated with evil. Demons are everywhere even in the Western world.

Devi FF

Well, these kinds of things are possible in Indonesia, where superstition is still very much alive in our culture although hidden from our lives. But it'€™s stupid for the President to write about it. What is his intention of telling this story? Does he want to be an object of mockery yet again? I mean, not all people believe in this kind of story, me included. Some see it as something worthy of mockery. So what is his hidden agenda? Or is he really that stupid?

Athena Syarifa

In a developed country, such a statement would require a resignation, and rightly so. Anyone conjuring up voices, visions or demons or whatever (mythical inventions of disturbed minds) is not fit to be president of a country, or involved in its politics or the military.

Many uneducated folks still believe in the supernatural and things that go bump in the night.

Apparently some people find it mandatory to remind us that they believe in entities they can neither see nor hear, but who have influence over them (but not over those who don'€™t believe in their existence), and who come from realms that science knows nothing about. Canny politicians and others who want power over these uneducated souls attempt to perpetuate this nonsense.

Maurice Gold

Rather unbelievable what this guy can come up with in trying to excuse his own inaction?

Rojak