In a small northern Saudi border village, the name of a boogey woman has become the talk of the town among children. What makes them believe that the woman does exist is that parents tend to use her name to frighten them.
Umm Othman is a “dark” woman who is specialized in kidnapping children—a rumor that has spread throughout the town of Arar near the border with Iraq.
The rumor has become so strong that police had to interfere to calm down the citizens, saying this woman is an imaginary person who never existed.
“These rumors are not true…there is no person called Umm Othman who kidnaps children as they say at schools and in other places,” police spokesman Bandar Idaa said, quoted by the Arabic language daily Arar News.
“We affirm to all that the police have not received any report about this woman…all the talk about her is a mere rumor.”
The paper said it was the second time police try to assuage public fears about Umm Othman, adding that parents have given rise to such rumors by trying to use her name to frighten their children as a sort of punishment.
“Psychologists in the area have warned that such rumors and tales will have a negative impact on children…parents have a key role to play in this respect…they should tell their children this person does not exist instead of planting fear in their minds,” the paper added.
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