'Toddler was victim of Satanism'

The foster mother of a three-year-old boy whose death is being probed at an inquest at the Wynberg magistrate's court, believes that her charge was the victim of Satanic attacks and enlisted the help of an imam (Muslim cleric) to pray for the boy.

The imam told the court that while he had often heard about witchcraft, he disassociated himself from it. The boy and his sister, who are both white, were taken in by the Muslim family from Athlone in 2001. A year later he died.

The family, who claimed that the boy had died after knocking his head, buried him hours later in accordance with their religious beliefs.

On Monday the imam testified that the child's foster mother had told him that she believed the child was prone to developing bruises on his cheek during the middle of the month."

She said that his biological mother, who was a Satanist, was troubling her for money and she (the foster mother) said she wanted me to pray for the child who she believed was the victim of some witchcraft."

The court heard that the woman believed the child was being hurt by "something that flew across the room" which would bruise his face during the middle of the month.

The imam told the court that the phenomenon of witchcraft was not uncommon.The imam, who has more than 30 years experience as a religious leader, said he had visited the family at the foster mother's request.

When he visited near the end of the month, the child had had no marks but he had performed prayers and left Qur'anic scripts invoking God's protection on the boy, the court heard.

The cult of islam is a truely backwards ideology. They are superstitious and ignorant.