year-old Saudi child hanged himself to death while trying to imitate suicidal scenes he watched on TV. Col. Ghannam, Madinah Police spokesman, said, “The child committed suicide in his room. He wrapped a plastic wire around his neck and hanged himself from the window. He died immediately.” Elaborating the circumstances of the death, Ghannam said, “Al-Oyoun police station received a notification from King Fahd Hospital of the death of a seven-year-old child. Traces of plastic wire were found around the neck after examination. There were no signs of violence or abuse.” The boy's sister attributed the suicide to her brother's desire to imitate tragic scenes from TV programs. Maj. Gen. Saud Al-Ahmadi, chief of Madinah Police, called on residents to check what their children watch on TV. Khadija Abdullah, a respected Islamic Studies teacher, emphasized that the elders of the family are responsible for selecting which TV programs their children watch. “It is a moral imperative to prevent children from being exposed to inappropriate content as they are not yet able to differentiate between reality and fiction.” “Most electronic games promote violence and fanaticism,” she added. Khadija noted that parents are responsible for the spiritual and social training of their family. “A good education is the family's primary Islamic responsibility. We are all answerable to God for the way we raise our progeny.”
