DAMMAM, 15 September 2007 — A Saudi woman barged into a Dammam police station waving a pistol and demanding custody of her children, the daily Okaz reported yesterday. The incident, which reportedly happened last week, ended without death or injury after police managed to calm the woman down. The woman was outraged that a judge delayed her day in court in a custody suit against her husband. Custody battles are a hot issue in Saudi Arabia, and reports abound of ex-husbands grabbing custody from their ex-wives once children become old enough for their fathers to attempt to wrest custody from the mothers, who often receive custody of children when they’re young but lose them when their older. Subsequently, Saudi newspapers often report about child-abuse cases involving stepmothers.