Friday, March 14, 2014

Saudia bans Rama and Maya (also Linda, Lauren,..)

What a utterly crazy country is Saudi Arabia.

But you do have to admire the craziness. It is a craziness that only those living in the lap of luxury can afford. It is the craziness of the old badshahs and maharajahs and emperors who could put up a thousand folks on the gallows in a fit of displeasure. Many centuries later (after the oil has disappeared) you will still probably find them well settled back in their bedouin life.

PS what is the probability that Taliban will pick up on this and we will have new naming regulations in SAsia?

PPS People are having a lot of fun with this. Now that Rama is banned what about Rama-dan?

Rama banned so try Dasharatha-nandana or Lakshmana-bhrata. Maya is Amitabha-mata.
There are one million versions that can be tried out and the Saudis will not be any wiser (they will have to learn Sanskrit first what is the chance of that?).

My own (lame contribution): A popular Gandhi quote is "Aram haraam hai (laziness is a sin)." Now people in his native land may no longer care for his message but Saudi has honored Gandhi's words by banning Aram (see list). Imitation is the best way of showing your (halal) devotion.
...
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has banned 50 given names including “foreign” names, names related to royalty and those it considers to be blasphemous.


The names fit into at least three categories: those that offend perceived religious sensibilities, those that are affiliated to royalty and those that are of non-Arabic or non-Islamic origin.


A number of other names appear that do not necessarily fit into any category and it is therefore unclear as to why they would have been banned. Names such as Abdul Naser and Binyamin are not found to be particularly offensive to Muslims. Binyamin is believed in Islam to be the son of Prophet Jacob (Yaqoub) (PBUH) and the full brother of Prophet Joseph (PBUH), but it also happens to be the name of the Israeli prime minister. Abdul Naser, similarly, is the name of the famous Arab nationalist ruler of Egypt, who was at odds with Saudi Arabia.


Names such as Abdul Nabi and Abdul Hussain, common among Shiites and some Sunni Arabs, are controversial because of the multiple ways in which they can be interpreted. Abdul in Arabic means “worshipper of” or “slave of”, while Nabi means “prophet” and Rasool means “messenger”. Those who oppose such names argue that Abdul means “worshipper of’ and is therefore forbidden as only God can be worshipped. Most Muslim names with Abdul carry one of God’s 99 Islamic names. Abdul Rahman, for example, comes from the name Al Rahman.


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

Aram 
Nareej Rital Alice 
Lareen Kibrial Lauren

regards

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