The Evil Eye as a cross-cultural belief. Comparing and contrasting the belief in the evil eye in cultures of KSA, Ecuador, and USA.

1. Mal De Ojo
‫عين‬‫الحسد‬
Saad Salim
Comm 645

2. The Evil Eye Defined
“an irrational belief in an event that causes another
without any natural process or logical explanation
linking the two events, especially as brining bad luck,
harm, and sometimes death” (Schoeck 193).

3. Data Collection
Scholarly SourcesPersonal Interviews
 Wayne Brandy, 71, male,
Native American
 Abdullah Henedi, 25, male,
Saudi Arabia
 Lucia Victoria (Vicky), 28,
female, Ecuador

4. Where does it come from?
 Envious look
 Jealousy
- Social class status
- Social injustice
- Income inequality
The Evil Eye: A Casebook
 “a person’s envious gaze
or look carries with it a
great deal of power that
can be harmful” (Dundes
258).

5. Saudi Arabia
Ecuador
“If someone improves his or her
economic status or buys a new
car, the person will become the
center of attraction. This is very
dangerous because people will
give him Ayn [evil eye]” (Henedi).
“you dress up a baby and take
him to the town and a woman,
who has no children or cannot
afford to buy the same clothes,
sees the baby. In this case, the
baby is most likely to be harmed
by ojo [the evil eye]” (Victoria).
United
Sates of
America“Possessors of the evil eye
are envious. Why should I
envy someone when I, and
most of the Americans, have
the same opportunity to
succeed in life. There is
wealth equality [in America]
where everyone can get
almost everything through a
hard working” (Brandy).

6. The Evil Eye Culture
Victims
 Children
 Women (pregnant
women)
Evil eye possessor
 Old woman
 Differing eyes color
 Eyes too close together
 Eyes set deep in head

7. Symptoms
According to scholars
 Severe headache
 High fever
 Anxiety
 Weeping (children)
Khalid Henedi (Saudi):
 “Sick, vomit without
obvious reason.”
Lucia Victoria (Ecuador):
 “Dizziness, powerless,
pale without any sign of
disease.”

8. Saudi Arabia
Ecuador
 Evil Eye can cause
death
 Quran-based treatment
 Blue amulets
 Camel urine
 Ojo is not fatal
 No religious treatment
 Red ribbon and
amulets
 Guinea pig

9. Conclusion

10. Works Cited
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Academic. Web. 2 August 2015.
Berger, Allan S. "The Evil Eye--an Ancient Superstition." Journal of Religion and Health 51.4 (2012): 1098-103. ProQuest. Web. 20
July 2015.
Brandy, Wayne. Personal Interview. 1 August 2015.
Dundes, Alan. The evil eye: A casebook. Vol. 2. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1981. Print.
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Gershman, Boris. "The Economic Origins Of The Evil Eye Belief." Journal Of Economic Behavior & Organization 110.(2015): 119-
144. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 July 2015.
Henedi, Khalid. Personal Interview. 31 July 2015.
Schoeck, Helmut. "The evil eye: forms and dynamics of a universal superstition." The Evil Eye: A Folklore Casebook. Ed. by A.
Dundes. New York: Garland Publishing Inc (1981): 192-200. PDF
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