Cyberbullying Among University Students: How Can You Stop Rumors and Stigma?

In chapter four of «Umm Abbas for Bringing Back a Lover and a Divorced Wife», Maryam finds messages and a strange image posted from her account in her university cohort's group. She does not know how the messages got out, but classmates do not wait for an explanation: one comment prompts another, and the nickname used to mock her moves from phone screen to lecture hall. She replies with a witty line and others laugh; from within, the reply does not feel like victory. The novel's painful question begins here: when Maryam does not know what happened, why do others think they know who she is?

In brief: Stop forwarding the material and abusive comments, record available facts without inventing an explanation, ask the target what support they want, and report to the responsible office while protecting their privacy. A diagnosis or proof of the sender's identity is not required to stop mockery.

This is a reading of a literary scene, not a diagnosis of Maryam or proof of what caused the messages. The real-world question concerns any student group: how does material with unknown context turn into a rumor, then bullying and stigma? How can harm be stopped without taking away the affected person's voice?

From a message to a judgment about a person

Four different steps are easily conflated. First, posting: a message appears under an account name. Second, interpretation: people ask who sent it and why. Third, circulation: people reshare the image or comment as though the explanation is settled. Fourth, making it an identity: the person becomes “the one behind the rumor” to those who verified nothing.

In the novel, messages appearing under Maryam's account alone do not answer who used it, the circumstances of sending, her intent, or what occurred. In reality, an account name or screenshot alone cannot support judgment about someone's psychological or religious condition. And even if the account holder is shown to have sent embarrassing words, that is no license for collective ridicule.

Not every isolated joke is “cyberbullying” in the strict sense. UNICEF describes digital bullying as repeated use of technology to hurt, intimidate, or shame, listing lies, embarrassing pictures, and impersonation among its forms. The scene shows a pattern forming: message, mocking replies, repeated nickname on campus. Even before the full definition of bullying is met, sharing a private image or insulting someone may cause harm warranting intervention.

The lecture hall's laughter does not settle the difference between laughing with and laughing at someone. Maryam responds with sarcasm, but her trembling and fear persist. A target may use humor to protect themselves temporarily; a clever reply does not mean consent to becoming entertainment.

Why can those who “did not start it” increase the harm?

A student group has an initial sender but also small actions: a laughing emoji, another comment, a screenshot shared with a friend, then a nickname reused in a corridor. Research in Information Systems Research distinguishes the original harmful poster from bystanders who join through likes, shares, or comments. The researchers tested a model in social groups through scenarios and online samples; this is not a test of Maryam's group, nor proof that everyone who clicked a laughing emoji intended harm. It helps explain why the audience cannot all be excused because “someone else made the joke.” Participation helps harm spread and can make a lone objection harder.

Stigma is more than embarrassment

Stigma begins with a label; ready-made traits are attached, then its bearer is treated as another “kind” of person. Link and Phelan's sociological analysis describes labeling, stereotyping, separation, loss of status, and discrimination within a power relationship as a mechanism of stigma. Not every puzzled look is fully formed stigma. It becomes more serious when a nickname changes how someone is heard or treated in study, at home, or in care.

The problem is not merely that students give Maryam a nickname. The word begins to compete with her own account. She says, “I don't know,” and some turn that gap into a joke or certainty that she is lying or has a particular condition. Each use of the nickname instead of her name reduces her to an unexplained incident. The loss grows if seeking help seems likely to give the label more power.

Two stigmas can intersect without being identical: the rumor's stigma (“Umm Abbas” as a joke) and the stigma of seeking mental-health care (“If I see a doctor, will they treat me as incapable?”). Discussing the latter does not assume Maryam has a disorder. It describes fear that the possibility of treatment will be used against someone. Health details should not pass from the individual into group curiosity. If assessment is needed, it belongs in a private care relationship, not a public comment under an image.

The World Health Organization warns stigma and discrimination can isolate people and restrict their voice and access to care and participation. But not every delay in seeking help reduces to “fear of what people say”: a Lebanese population study found low perceived need for treatment a greater barrier in its sample than reported stigma. One study cannot represent all Arab societies, but it prevents assuming one cause for everyone.

What can research show, and what can it not show?

A systematic review in PLOS Mental Health gathered 32 studies involving about 29,593 university students. It reported associations between cyberbullying exposure and indicators of depression, anxiety, and stress; some studies found effects on academic concentration. Most studies were cross-sectional and differed in definitions and measures. The review cannot establish that bullying caused every symptom in every student, or yield a single estimate generalizable to every Arab university.

More useful than a dramatic percentage is distinguishing three levels: one message may cause a passing insult; repeated harm may affect sleep, study, and relationships; and a person in crisis may need professional assessment regardless of cause. A rumor cannot diagnose them; absence of diagnosis does not make social harm unreal. Horror fiction may leave an event's cause uncertain; real-life support should be safe even while the cause is unknown.

What do religious texts say here?

The Qur'an warns against the harm of labeling: “Let not one people ridicule another” and “Do not insult one another by nicknames” (49:11). It sets a principle for handling reports before harming people: “verify, lest you harm a people in ignorance” (49:6). It forbids suspicion, spying, and backbiting (49:12). These ethical rules do not say whether Maryam sent the messages, or diagnose her.

In the account of the slander, the text describes passing on words without knowledge: “When you received it with your tongues and said with your mouths that of which you had no knowledge” (24:15). Al-Tabari explains receiving and retelling a report without knowing its truth. We do not equate the slander incident with a fictional episode or student group in facts or standing; the limited principle is that repetition does not turn conjecture into knowledge, and a small “forward” button does not make its effects small.

Verification and refraining from mockery belong together: university administrators may investigate a harmful message, and a student may seek support, but the audience has no right to determine diagnosis or guilt from a circulating image. Dignity does not wait for an investigation's end.

What should each person do if a rumor spreads in a student group?

The targeted person: Save messages, timestamps, and evidence of reposting without spreading them yourself. Contact someone trusted and student support or student affairs; request removal of abuse and an end to circulation while protecting privacy. You need not explain health history or prove medical innocence to the group. If directly threatened or unsafe, seek urgent local help. UNICEF recommends preserving evidence, reporting, and trusted support. Official procedures differ by university and country.

A friend or witness: Do not forward the image to condemn it; forwarding may widen its spread. State clearly that mockery is unacceptable, and ask the affected person how they want help rather than telling their story for them. Rana's presence beside Maryam neither solves the mystery nor demands a confession before Maryam deserves company. This is the value of supporting someone before understanding everything.

The moderator and university: Stop harmful comments and circulation, preserve what authorized investigators need, and separate investigation of the post from care for the person. Provide a clear reporting path that does not require confronting the entire group. The university-student review points to accessible reporting and support channels; whether they work locally needs evaluation, not just a policy announcement.

The family: Do not turn concern into accusation: “Are you ill? Are you possessed? Why did you embarrass us?” Ask: “What happened? What do you need now? Would you like me to accompany you to seek help?” Family can take danger and distress seriously without judging cause or publicizing the story. That distinguishes protecting a person from protecting reputation at their expense.

Why does this question matter to «Umm Abbas»?

The university is no passing backdrop. On printed pages 55–64, “Umm Abbas” moves from a phone name to a nickname among classmates; Maryam's treatment changes before anyone knows what happened. Fear of scandal becomes part of the horror, not a respite. This article opens a way to understand message → rumor → nickname → social pressure; the novel lets readers experience its effect on Maryam. The story is not evidence of illness, possession, or real-world research findings.

Quick questions

Is one mocking remark cyberbullying? It can be a hurtful insult; a bullying pattern becomes clearer with repetition and targeting. Classification need not be settled before stopping abuse.

Does a message under my account prove I meant to send it? It establishes that it appeared under the name in the available record, not who used the account, the circumstances, or intent. Examine facts with the appropriate office without letting others diagnose you from a screenshot.

Should I tell the group that I see a doctor or specialist? Sharing health information is your decision. Seek needed support; report abuse to the responsible office without revealing private health details to the public.

Is deleting messages enough? It may limit spread but does not address saved copies or a nickname now repeated aloud. The group needs to stop repeating it; the person needs support and the right to speak under their own name again.

Sources and review limits

أم عباس لجلب الحبيب وردّ المطلّقة

A forthcoming psychological-horror novel by Ahmed Alhafiz. How do others' judgments precede knowing what happened to Maryam?

Learn about the novel