11.05.2026 01:12
Seyit Cuma Tufehi, who claims to cure people who cannot speak by inserting a key into their mouths in Şanlıurfa Viranşehir, has become social media's new "healer" superstition focus. After millions of views on the videos, hundreds of families from Turkey and Europe flocked to the district, forming long queues at the door. While families resorting to this scientifically invalid method claim their children's speech improved, the medical world warns against such dangerous practices.
In the Viranşehir district of Şanlıurfa, images of Seyit Cuma Tufehi, who claims to treat people with speech difficulties by inserting a key into their mouths, caused outrage on social media. After posts from those saying 'We found healing,' the superstition quickly crossed borders and reached as far as Europe.
REACHED MILLIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Videos of Tufehi, who lives in Viranşehir, allegedly placing a key into the mouths of children and adults and praying to make them speak, received millions of views. Following the images, hundreds of people from all over Turkey and abroad began flocking to the district, bringing their non-speaking relatives with them. The so-called healer, with long queues forming at his door, started operating on an appointment system.
THOSE SAYING 'HIS TONGUE OPENED' IN THE QUEUE
Families coming from many cities from Adana to Konya claim to have obtained results from the method. While a citizen who came from Adana for his son said, 'My son had a stutter, he spoke here, we cried with joy,' another stated, 'They put a key in his mouth, his tongue opened a little.' This method, which has no scientific basis, has become a door of hope for desperate families.
THE DEFENSE OF 'HEALING COMES FROM ALLAH'
Seyit Cuma Tufehi, who states that he does not charge a fee, argues against his critics that the healing comes not from himself but from Allah. Tufehi, saying that people come from all over the world, tries to defend his practice with religious references, stating, 'Those with faith find healing. We are on the path of the Quran.'