Doofus Of The Day #240

A Saudi family earns our title today with a bizarre lawsuit.

A family in Saudi Arabia is taking a genie to court for theft and harassment.

The genie is accused of leaving them threatening voicemails, stealing their mobile phones and hurling rocks at them when they leave their house at night, according to the Al-Watan newspaper.

An investigation was under way, officials at the Shariah court said.

'We have to verify the truthfulness of this case despite the difficulty of doing so,' Sheikh Amr Al Salmi, the head of the court, told Al-Watan.

. . .

In Islamic cultures, a belief in genies, or jinns, is common. Genies not only appear in pre-Islamic fiction such as 'Arabian Nights,' but are also mentioned in the Quran.

Many Saudis believe invisible genies live among them and are capable of demonic possession and revenge.

In Islamic theology jinn are said to be creatures with free will, made from 'smokeless fire' by Allah in the same way humans were made of earth.

According to the Koran, Djinn have free will, and Iblis used this freedom in front of Allah by refusing to bow to Adam when Allah told Iblis to do so.

By disobeying Allah, he was thrown out of Paradise and called 'Shaitan'.

There's more at the link.

Interesting case. Just how do you serve a supernatural being with a summons to court? And even if the family wins in court, just how do they propose to collect damages?



Peter