Teenage girls and young women are being preyed upon by evil men who blackmail them after gaining their confidence with promises of love and marriage. The girl does not realize that the young man whom she believes truly loves her and to whom she has sent her pictures will one day turn into a merciless ‘human wolf' who will force her to turn to the security agencies for help. With the advent of modern telecommunications and the widespread use of the Internet, there has been an increase in the blackmailing of teenage girls and young women. Almost everyday, newspapers carry stories of women being blackmailed by men who threaten to publish their photographs on the Internet. The photographs can be obtained in a variety of ways. Apart from winning the trust of the young woman with promises of marriage so that she voluntarily gives her photos to the youth, the woman's mobile phone with pictures of her in its memory may be lost or stolen. There have even been cases recorded of photographs being downloaded by unscrupulous employees of computer repair shops who then pass them on to others or who themselves attempt to blackmail the female owner of the computer. Hidden camera Recent cases that have come to light indicate that young men are also victims of blackmail. The records of the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai'a) in Jeddah include the case of a 32-year-old man who tried to blackmail a male secondary school student. The man invited the student to his flat to play computer games. However, unbeknown to the youth, the man had devised an intricate plan to blackmail the youngster. The man told the youth that he was going out to get something and left the teenager in the apartment. Before leaving, the man put on a pornographic film for the youth to watch. A short while after watching the erotic scenes in the film, the youth became aroused and removed his clothes. The man had hidden a tiny camera in the room to film the youth while he was watching the erotic scenes in the film and was in a state of arousal. When the man returned, he showed the youth the scenes the camera had recorded and told him he would expose the young man and publish his pictures on the Internet and distribute them among his friends and neighbors in the district if the youth did not do what he wanted him to do. The youth, however, refused to agree to the man's demands. He filed a complaint at the Hai'a station in his district which was in southern Jeddah. After verifying the complaint, a trap was set to arrest the blackmailer, who admitted that what the youth had said was true. He also admitted using hi-tech equipment in his blackmailing operations including a video player and a small video-camera which he cleverly managed to hide in one corner of the room. Furthermore, he connected this equipment to other equipment in another room which indicated the lengths that he went to in carrying out his immoral activities. Repentant girl Another incident involved a girl who realized that what she was doing was wrong and repented and decided to break off her illicit relations with a young man. The youth, however, was not convinced that she had truly repented and began threatening her with blackmail. This forced the girl to file a complaint with the local branch of the Hai'a. In her complaint, she mentioned the youth's practices, his threats and attempts to blackmail her. The girl said that the youth threatened to expose her and publish her personal photographs if she did not submit to his desire to meet her. He promised her, however, that this would be the last time. If she agreed, he would then hand over all the pictures of her he had. But at the same time, he threatened to publish her pictures if she reported the matter to the authorities concerned. The Commission's trap The head of the Hai'a station asked the girl to agree to meet the blackmailer in one of the markets in south Jeddah. Meanwhile, the Hai'a staffers set a trap, and when the youth arrived and got out of his car to meet the girl, they arrested him. In checking his mobile telephone, they found pictures of a number of girls including the girl who had lodged the complaint with the Hai'a, as well as pornographic clips and further evidence of his numerous illicit relations. When the young man was confronted with the evidence, he said that he was angry with the girl for ending their relationship and that he wanted revenge. Resisting evildoers Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, spoke to over 1500 female students of King Saud University in Riyadh on how some women are blackmailed by men using the means of modern telecommunications. He said the men who commit such acts “are lying in wait for women and blackmail them for their honor”. He called upon women who are subjected to blackmail to resist evildoers and report the matter to the concerned authorities. At the same time, he warned women against responding to phone calls from men whom they do not know. He also warned them not to get carried away by the sweet talk of such men. The Grand Mufti added that women should realize that there are many men who are setting traps for them and are blackmailing them for their honor by means of telephone calls. These men aim to set up relations with women who are not related to them. He stressed that such men are calling people to evil. Aal Al-Sheikh quoted the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying that after his death there would be no temptation (Fitnah) as harmful to men as women. He also quoted the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying that the first immorality among Bani Israel was women. Therefore, a woman must avoid telephone calls from men she does not know. If she suspects the intentions of the person calling, she should hang up, as no good can come from such calls. Usually the caller pretends to be interested in marrying the young woman. However, the Grand Mufti stressed that if the intention is to seek the woman's hand in marriage, it should be done through the proper channels. He said using improper methods to get to know the young woman is not beneficial and is impermissible. Sheikh Abdul Aziz also touched on the substantial role that universities and educational institutions have to play in this issue since many students spend more time in school than they do with their families. It is for this reason, he pointed out, that teachers in these institutions must set a good example for their students, especially in the area of the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice besides guiding them to the right path. A Hai'a study concluded that female victims of blackmail are usually between 16-39 years of age. The study also shows that blackmail often occurs in areas where men and women work together. The study has been submitted to higher authorities and a committee has been formed to further study the problem under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Interior and with the participation of relevant institutions including the Hai'a. The Ha'ia has urged those subjected to blackmail not to hesitate to report the matter and has also advised parents to open channels of communication and dialogue with their sons and daughters. Alien crimes First Lt. Nawaf Bin Nasser Al-Boug, Jeddah's Assistant Police Spokesman, said,“Crimes such as blackmail are the products of alien cultures promoted through movies and TV programs.” He stressed the important role of schools, families, sports clubs and mosques in enlightening young people and educating them about the negative implications of these tools of the media. He said the problem occurs in a limited number of cases and that the authorities deal with such incidents carefully and in a manner so as not to disgrace and socially stigmatize the victims and their families.
