MAKKAH, Jul 3 (Arab News): Recent headlines in local media that have highlighted gory crimes have raised the question — why has crime increased in our Muslim society?

The stories behind the headlines also feature the trivialities that led to the crime, and that poses another question — Is this phenomenon becoming inherent in our society?

When a simple dispute between a husband and his wife leads to a murder, when a son beats up his mother to death and cremates the body in desert, when a father attacks his teenage daughters without fear or shame, then there is something really wrong in the society we live in.

Many citizens have expressed dismay and shock at the rise in crime and they are also baffled at the manner and the rate of killings. They also feel that the rise in crime is indicative of the loss of values and lack of tolerance, and something needs to be done to arrest this trend.

Ali Ahmad, a Saudi citizen, said he felt disgusted every time he read about a murder in local papers.

“I was shocked when I read lately in a newspaper that a drug-addict strangled his mother to death and then set her ablaze in a desert area. This cannot happen in our religious and conservative society,” he said.

Khaled Ali said when there was a time when one heard about a crime the first thing that came to one’s mind was theft most probably because of the thief’s poor financial condition, but now things are different.

“We are now reading stories of murder that we did not know before. The crime of murder is taking a new shape in our society,” he said.

He said these days crimes are committed for various reasons. “We are now hearing about psychopaths and mentally unstable people committing murder. We also read about personal differences leading to murderous attacks. All these things are new to our society,” he said.

Ali said the police should not be held responsible for the rising rate of crime. Unless society itself does something, we’ll continue to hear and read these stories often.

“The police will not know the intentions of people and cannot detect a murder before it is committed,” he said, adding that the Kingdom is still one of the safest countries in the world.

Wael Salim is astonished that a husband would dare kill his wife for minor differences that could have been easily settled by talking things over. He could not also believe that a wife would hire professional criminals to pour acid on the face of her husband, deforming him for life. He said these crimes were alien to the Saudi society, which is generally religious, conservative and tolerant.

Psychology consultant at Hira General Hospital Dr. Rajab Birsali blamed “perverts” who are weak in spiritual aspects and faith for the rising rate of murder and other crimes. He also revealed that drug abusers and drinkers do not hesitate to perform criminal acts.

“The psychopaths are also among the categories of criminals,” he said.

Birsali said studies showed that the mentally and psychologically unstable people may resort to verbal or physical violence that might escalate to murder.

“People in this group have either had improper upbringing or are victims of family breakups. The wrong social upbringing and affinity with corrupt friends often breed murderers and criminals,” he said.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Ghamdi, chairman of the Commission to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice (Haia) in Makkah, said crimes are interpretation of the human conduct, which in turn is the result of faith. “If a man is a good Muslim he would have no reason to commit a crime. The correct faith is a preventive factor against any crime,” he said.

Al-Ghamdi added that some crimes are committed because of extreme anger or because of the dire need for money.

“Islam has made the rules to punish such people and bring them back on to the right track,” he added.

He said most of the crimes are committed by drug addicts and called for their treatment and rehabilitation until they become good members of society.

Al-Ghamdi said violence against parents is among the crimes resulting from lack of proper faith.

“Anyone who is bad to his parents will never be any good to society,” he said.

Al-Ghmadi was surprised that some crimes are being committed by people who are not under pressure of any kind and by people who are mentally fit. He cited a number of cases coming to the Haia in this connection. He said once a woman called them and complained that her own son beat her up and kicked her out of the house. A wife, he said, called the Haia complaining that her drug-addict husband was sexually abusing his daughters in front of her.

“The security forces have a complementary role, but the basic responsibility lies in the hands of the family and the school that should inculcate faith and good manners into young men and women so that they grow up to be good citizens,” he said.