Sunday 16 March 2014

50 baby names banned in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's interior ministry has issued a ban on a range of baby names because they are deemed to be against the Kingdom's cultural, religious and moral codes. Names banned include foreign names, names that might be misconstrued as royal lineage, and those with potentially blasphemous connotations in line with Saudi religious school of thought. There are certain oddities in the list as well, for example Binyamin and Abdul Nasir are banned and the motive appears to be political in nature rather than cultural, religious or moral. List of names banned is as follows:

Malaak (angel)
Abdul Aati
Abdul Naser
Abdul Musleh
Nabi (prophet)
Nabiyya (female prophet)
Amir (prince)
Sumuw (highness)
Al Mamlaka (the kingdom)
Malika (queen)
Mamlaka (kingdom)
Tabarak (blessed)
Nardeen
Maya
Linda
Randa
Basmala (utterance of the name of God)
Taline
Aram
Nareej
Rital
Alice
Sandy
Rama (Hindu god)
Maline
Elaine
Inar
Maliktina
Lareen
Kibrial
Lauren
Binyamin (Arabic for Benjamin)
Naris
Yara
Sitav
Loland
Tilaj
Barrah
Abdul Nabi
Abdul Rasool
Jibreel (angel Gabriel)
Abdul Mu’een
Abrar
Iman
Bayan
Baseel
Wireelam