Wide demands to block ‘Blue Scarf’ game amid death cases recorded in Egypt

CAIRO – 8 March 2021: Wide demands to block a game called “Blue Scarf” or “Blackout Challenge” that is spread via Tik Tok, after it claimed the lives of a number of young Egyptians.

A young Egyptian man called Adham, aged 21 years old, was reported dead after playing this game; his parents were shocked by his death, as they stated that he does not suffer from any psychological diseases, and that day he had lunch with them, and went to his room. Shortly, his sister entered his room to find him hanged.

The game, on Tik Tok, is described as giving a chance for those who suffer from depression to live a different experience. After registration, the player is asked to turn off the lights of the room and undergo a challenge of holding their breath, as the game claims they will feel a different experience. Some are said to have completed the challenge, while others died in Egypt.

Parliamentarians submitted a request to block the game for that it imposes risks on adolescents lives, calling on state concerned bodies to stand firm amid the spread of such dangerous games.

For Al-Azhar part, the International Center for Online Fatwa warned against playing the Blue Scarf game, describing it as a “new deadly game.”

Al-Azhar’s statement said that “there is hardly a house without smart phone applications and electronic games.”

It added that "there are some games and applications, which went beyond tampering with beliefs and destroying values and ethics…it rather extended to destructing souls and call to death.”