The Mirror is reporting on the murder of Zakariyya Islam which took place inside a treatment center for people suffering from the adverse effects of black magic. Islam offered therapy to people who were suffering from involvement in sorcery, witchcraft, and from curses such as the “evil eye”. He also treated people who believed they were possessed by evil spirits known as “jinns”.

According to the Encyclopedia Mythica, a jinn is similar to what we would call a “genie”, but is considered to be evil. The highest form of a jinn is known as Iblis or Azazel, aka the prince of darkness or the Devil. Because jinns are believed to be made of fire and are not immortal they can take on human and animal shapes to influence man in either positive or negative ways.

During a typical Muslim exorcism (called a ruqya), the victim lies down while a “therapist” wearing white gloves places a hand on his/her head while chanting verses from the Quran. The victim may also be given holy water to drink (not the holy water used by Catholics). Verses are recited that glorify God and invoke His help.

Islam had been helping people who believed they were plagued by jinns for more than 20 years and was working out of the Ruqya Centre in east London when the stabbing took place. By the time police arrived at the scene, he had already succumbed to multiple critical injuries to the torso. Efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 43-year old man who was known to Mr Islam and showed up at a nearby hospital with hand wounds was arrested on suspicion of murder by local police.

His colleague Tasawer Islam, 51, said he was “lost for words” about what happened to his colleague.

"It was the last thing I expected to hear,” he told the Mirror.

He went on to describe the kind of work they had been doing as being “similar to what you would call clairvoyance. We recite directly from the Quran and it's the words that are very soothing. Everything that is damaging around you gets destroyed but lots of people don't believe or they don't understand. People with mental health issues - all we have to do is speak to them - not even physical contact - we just say the words. It's like yoga.”

He added: "It is using the Quran to exorcise those spirits."

The practice, which is not regarded as legitimate by many Muslims, has made for some dark headlines over the years, such as in the case of Latifa Hachmi, 23, who died in Belgium on August 5, 2004 after being subjected to months-long exorcism rituals. Hachmi’s husband, Mourad Mazouj, believed his wife was unable to become pregnant because she was possessed by jinns.

When her body was found on the evening of her death, it was covered in bruises and her lungs were filled with water.

Her husband eventually admitted to investigators what had been going on and led police to a Moroccan “sheik” named Xavier Meert. Meert, who was a Belgian native and convert to Islam, reportedly performed the rituals on Hachmi along with her husband and three sisters of the victim. During that time she was made to swallow gallons of “holy water”, was fed two spoons of yogurt every day and always wore earphones that played verses from the Quran. Various attempts to exorcise the demons found the exorcist sticking his fingers down her throat, forcing her to bathe in hot water and beating her with a stick.

Everyone involved was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Meert and Mazouj were each given nine-year sentences and the rest received suspended jail sentences.