Does a conjurer fall under the category of "Whoever imitates a people is one of them" merely because people call him a sorcerer, or because his actions resemble sorcery, even if he explicitly denies sorcery?

"The decisive factor is the reality of what this conjurer does, not merely what people say about him. What is considered astonishing, like the tricks performed by illusionists with the help of machines and chemicals, or by someone demonstrating sleight of hand, is not considered magic. However, it is blameworthy because of its resemblance to magic or the consequences that may result from it. الرياضي and deceptive magic are considered forms of cheating and deception, not 'kufr' (disbelief-inducing) magic. Acts of sorcery that rely on sleight of hand, illusion, and knowledge of chemical properties are not given the ruling of magic that renders its perpetrator a disbeliever, but they are forbidden and are among the illusions that may lead children to 'kufr' beliefs."