The security authorities in one of the Delta governorates in Egypt arrested the two young men accused of blackmailing the student, Sant Khaled, with fabricated pictures, which prompted her to commit suicide.
Local newspapers said that the Gharbia Governorate Security Directorate arrested two people accused of causing the suicide of a victim of electronic extortion via the Facebook social networking site, in the village of Kafr Yaqoub, which is affiliated to the Kafr El-Zayat district.
The incident came in the first days of 2022, when extortion was the crime that Al Gharbia’s daughter paid for after someone published “fabricated” pictures of her and tried to blackmail her with them, and spread the pictures among the people of the village until she reached the hands of her family, neighbors and schoolmates, so that her teacher told her sarcastically. You have become more of a trend in the country than Shaima (a popular song that spread weeks ago)."
Fear.. begging.. suicide
"Mama, believe me, these pictures are not me, I swear to God, they are not me and I like superimposed pictures. I am tired, I am young for this fatigue, I am depressed, Mama, seriously, I feel like I am suffocating, I am tired."
With these painful words, Basant pleaded in her last message, which came minutes before she took the "yield pill" to commit suicide, letting the entire world pay the price for the fear of a 17-year-old girl, the victim of electronic blackmail.
Before he prayed Friday, her father entered her room with her pictures circulating on the media among the people of her village. The daughter did not wait for him to ask a question, and she told him, “Not me, Daddy, by God Almighty, not me. The father says that he hugged his daughter and told her to “go,” then left her and left for the mosque.
And when he came back, he knew that his only word to her did not reassure her, and she chose to leave the world in hope of God’s mercy, after the hearts of those closest to her narrowed with her, despite the father’s confirmation of the morals of his daughter who had memorized the Qur’an since she was in the fifth grade of primary school, but what he did did not It was enough to make her feel safe.
On the issue that shook Egyptian public opinion, Al-Azhar Al-Sharif commented, on its official Facebook page, on the suicide incident, saying, “Islam has classified accusing people of falsehood and lying among major sins, and despicable crimes, whose damages are not limited to the level of individuals and societies, and which indicate the The malice of those who described it.”
Professor of Sharia at Al-Azhar University, Mabrouk Attia, said, "Souls go, and this is the second case. The first was for a respected doctor, who was posted on Facebook by one of the criminals about her. She did not commit suicide, but rather died in agony, leaving children and following her for a cent. To this degree, lives are cheap."
Dr. Attia referred to “a comprehensive and prohibitive word mentioned in the Holy Qur’an {O you who believe, fear God, and let a soul see what it offers for tomorrow ۖ and fear God and the other.
Concerning the crimes of intimidation, the Sheikh said: "Fear God, the Muslim does not threaten or intimidate people, as the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said (None of you terrifies his brother too much or jokingly)."
psychological support
Confronting the crime of extortion, and publishing photos or videos of victims, whether true or fabricated, a confrontation that not only requires informing the investigation authorities, but the confrontation begins with family support for the victim, so that she does not fall prey to depression, which leads her to commit suicide, or isolate for fear of facing society.
Dr. Mohamed Hani, a professor of mental health, says that the victim of electronic extortion is often the weakest link in society, so the blackmailer often targets a woman or a child, “and in the case we are dealing with, she was a cent less psychologically able to absorb the shock, being a child and a female, Even her weeping message was saying: I am very tired... I am too young to bear all of this.
Family support often did not happen, as this psychiatrist believes, confirming to Al Jazeera Net that the suicide of the Western girl so quickly, after talking to her father, confirms that most of her fear was from her family, her feeling of betrayal and their lack of trust in her.
Her family, who did not believe her, as shown by her message, in which she emphasized more than once, "Believe me, Mom."
#The right to a cent must be returned, a hashtag that spread on the communication sites, and contributed to the speedy arrest of the perpetrators accused of blackmailing a cent, and pushing her to end her life.
It would have saved her life if her family had rushed to report the accused, and not blame the daughter, according to Dr. Hani, who added to Al Jazeera Net that there are several ways in which the family can preserve the life of the victim, whether she is a child or a woman, as studies have proven The family support was able to reduce the severity of symptoms of depression and resist suicidal thoughts in 65% of the victims of extortion through:
The safety space between the child and his family, or the woman and her husband, so that the victim can reveal all the concerns she carries.
Ask calmly about the type and duration of the relationship with the blackmailer, with a kind of light contact with the victim, such as holding his hand reassuringly, sending him a message “Do not be afraid.”
Believing the victim in everything he tells, and making him tell everything he wants without pressure, ironic methods, or attempts to twist the facts in order to reach other results.
If the victim is already at fault, hold off the blame or admonition until the problem is over, then confront them with their mistakes while still being supportive.
Do not make him afraid to confront society, who is known for his crisis, and the more supportive and credible you appear with him, the more encouraging him to confront the unjust parties to him.