The ustad performed a ruqyah: an exorcism that in Indonesia is used to cure everything from poor health to bad relationships by ridding the afflicted person of demons known as jinn. The teacher prayed over Saepudin, who cried and then felt calm. Saepudin was instructed to sleep with Quran verses under his pillow.
“I did it for a month but nothing changed,” he said. “I am still gay. For me, the hardest part was not during the ruqyah, but after it, when I had to keep pushing myself to be straight. It was frustrating and made me depressed.” Islamic exorcisms used as a 'cure' for homosexuality in Indonesia: 'If I am Muslim, I can’t be gay' https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/11/08/indonesia-lgbt-landscape-islamic-exorcism-ruqyah-used-therapy/2507538001/
