A man who fell into the hands of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (the Hai'a) for attempting to blackmail a young woman ended up not at the police station as might be expected, but instead at the house of his victim to ask her hand in marriage. Al-Hayat Arabic daily reported Monday that Rizq Al-Mashafi, the spokesman for the Hai'a in Al-Jouf, said that an amicable union had been arranged between the pair. “One of the Hai'a offices in Al-Jouf managed to bring reconciliation between the young man and woman,” Al-Mashafi said, “and a marriage contract between them was signed.” Al-Mashafi said that it was preferred not to reveal details of instances of blackmail for fear of exposing identities. “The blackmailer bears full responsibility, as blackmail is a crime under all laws, and blackmailers engage in one of the most offensive forms of exploitation which leaves their victims prisoners to their desires,” he told Al-Hayat. Al-Mashafi noted, however, that media reports of blackmail attempts had helped in young women turning to the Hai'a for assistance.
