▁a ▁positive ▁sense , ▁it ▁did ▁not ▁supp lant ▁traditional ▁att itudes ▁toward ▁magic ▁in ▁the ▁West , ▁which ▁remained ▁largely ▁negative . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time ▁as ▁mag ia ▁natural is ▁was ▁attract ing ▁interest ▁and ▁was ▁largely ▁toler ated , ▁Europe ▁saw ▁an ▁active ▁per sec ution ▁of ▁accused ▁w itch es ▁believed ▁to ▁be ▁guilty ▁of ▁male fic ia . ▁Ref lect ing ▁the ▁term ' s ▁continued ▁negative ▁associations , ▁Protest ants ▁often ▁sought ▁to ▁den igr ate ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁sacr amental ▁and ▁dev ot ional ▁practices ▁as ▁being ▁mag ical ▁rather ▁than ▁religious . ▁Many ▁Roman ▁C athol ics ▁were ▁concerned ▁by ▁this ▁alleg ation ▁and ▁for ▁several ▁centuries ▁various ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁writers ▁devoted ▁attention ▁to ▁arg uing ▁that ▁their ▁practices ▁were ▁religious ▁rather ▁than ▁mag ical . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁Protest ants ▁often ▁used ▁the ▁accus ation ▁of ▁magic ▁against ▁other ▁Protest ant ▁groups ▁which ▁they ▁were ▁in ▁contest ▁with . ▁In ▁this ▁way , ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁magic ▁was ▁used ▁to ▁pres cribe ▁what ▁was ▁appropriate ▁as ▁religious ▁belief ▁and ▁practice . ▁Similar ▁claims ▁were ▁also ▁being ▁made ▁in ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁world ▁during ▁this ▁period . ▁The ▁Arab ian ▁cler ic ▁Muhammad ▁ibn ▁Abd ▁al - W ah hab — found er ▁of ▁W ah hab ism — for ▁instance ▁condem ned ▁a ▁range ▁of ▁custom s ▁and ▁practices ▁such ▁as ▁div ination ▁and ▁the ▁v ener ation ▁of ▁spirits ▁as ▁si hr , ▁which ▁he ▁in ▁turn ▁claimed ▁was ▁a ▁form ▁of