Al-Qalam 
Online gambling addiction in the SA Muslim community is raising alarm and requires urgent government and community actions, writes Ismail Suder.
The scourge of online gambling addiction has reached “epidemic proportions” in the Muslim community, leading to many families being torn apart, said prominent Durban social scientist, Dr Suhaima Hoosen.
In an interview, she urged Muslim leaders and Islamic scholars to take urgent, proactive measures to address this scourge that is tearing the fabric of the South African Muslim society.
Meanwhile, in a press statement, the President of the Minara Chamber of Commerce, Ebrahim Patel, has urged the Government and regulatory bodies to implement immediate and robust measures to address the escalating social and economic risks associated with gambling, including the trend of online gambling.
However, speaking about how it was affecting many in the Muslim community, Hoosen told Al-Qalam that it was time that Islamic scholars took urgent steps to address this scourge in mosques and at community meetings. “If this scourge is not stopped now, we could see a further disintegration of the family unit down the line,” she warned.
She told Al-Qalam that she was witnessing an uptick in cases where Muslim women were complaining about their husbands’ online addictions, which were directly impacting on their wives and children. It often leads to marital discord and even divorce.
She said the women she counseled had complained about their husbands’ violent verbal outbursts or physical abuses, especially when their husbands’ online gambling was not going well. She said families were facing serious financial ruin to such an extent that they were battling to even put food on the table.
“Sadly, I have heard several cases where husbands are selling off anything of value in the home, from jewelry, furniture, and even chicken packs from the freezer, to satisfy their online gambling addiction,” she said.
Hoosen said many Muslim men, unwittingly trapped in the web of false hope, are ordinary people – and many come from reputable family backgrounds. What attracts many Muslim men towards online gambling is the privacy and secrecy that it affords an individual. For gamblers, betting online takes away the “shame factor” of being spotted at a casino, so gambling on the internet while lying on their beds until the early parts of the morning was considered a safer option.
In her counselling sessions, Hoosen said many women pour out their hearts about the impact their husbands’ gambling is having on their families. The women all said their husbands’ demeanor changed once they were caught in the web of online gambling addiction. “It transforms them into aloof, depressed and moody individuals, that in the end, can lead to financial ruin, suicidal tendencies, and not to mention the breakdown of relations with their wives and children. “It brings out the monster in the man”, she added.
“A typical scenario would be when the husband comes home from his work; he immediately gets stuck with his phone or laptop and starts his online gambling. If he loses, he may vent his frustration on the poor wife, for example, complaining about the lack of salt in his food, or start shouting at the children for no reason, which ultimately leads to a tense environment in the house.”
In the Minara Chamber statement, Patel said the surge in gambling, particularly via online channels, places considerable strain on household incomes.
He pointed out that households already experiencing financial hardship are especially susceptible, “with evidence suggesting that up to 40% of vulnerable household income is directed towards gambling.
Sheikh Rafeek Hassen, Director and founder of the Islamic Interfaith Research Institute (iiFRi), said intoxicants and gambling are “Satan’s handiwork” (Quran: Al Maida, Ayah 90).
“Regardless of age, gender, race, or religion, a large percentage of the population are entrapped in this snare. A few decades ago, we were worried about cigarettes, then the next decade we worried about dagga, then we worried about smart phones and pornography and now online gambling.”
Hassen, a well-known face on Hilaal TV, and who often addresses sociological issues, asked: “So why is the government allowing these evils? We all know the answer – collusion and kickbacks to Government officials. Money before moral values and community. But in the end, where is the community? Why are we not exercising our democratic right to object, to oppose and shut down this cancer that is destroying our youth and families.”
