Couple in Germany tries to name their kid Bin Laden, and is rejected by govt.

Originally posted by Hesperex: nothing wrong with being called Marc ...but that is my name I have no otte on the end [img]tongue.gif[/img] ...most people still write it Mark which really p!sses me off but still ..what can you do. Incidently ..talking of strage names I know a couple who have named there new born son Xavier ...guess what they are fans off lol

I feel your pain

Many people mis-spell my surname (Shepherd). However, mis-spelling that makes the difference between a large and proud Scottish Clan (proper spelling) and being of Welsh or English origins (the other spellings)

[Sir Goulum]

Why would anyone want to name their child after Osama bin Laden? Thats my question!

[debiler]

It's disgusting! Why would anyone want to do that? I think it's ok that parents who showed that they definitely don't understand what happened almost one year ago, should not be allowed to name their kid like that. Believe me, there are morons in gemany who are not able to realize that!

Were these people muslims by any chance? ...it's probably not such an strange thing in their culture, still if they want to use that name then perhaps they should reconsider their geographical location.

[K T Ong]

In some cultures people are actually often named after the gods and heroes of their religious traditions. Thus you have 'Rama', 'Krishna', 'Siva', 'Ganesh' etc in the Indian cultural circle. Nice to be named after a god or hero.

I understand the name 'Thor' is very popular in Scandinavian countries?

As for the name 'Osama bin Laden', it could be that in Islamic circles it has a positive meaning quite irrespective of the fact that someone who had that name was a terrorist.

[ 09-05-2002, 08:30 PM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]

[Azred]

Take note of your thoughts/emotions as you read the following two lists of names:

Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Bodidharma, Siddhartha (Gautama Buddha), Lao-Tzu, K'ung-fu-tse (Confucious), Black Elk, Ramakrishna

Pol Pot, Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, Josef Stalin, Osama bin Laden, Torquemada, Vlad Tepes, "Jack the Ripper", Ted Bundy, Timothy James McVeigh

Don't you see? Names have power. Even before the invention of writing, names had power; the name of an object was an intrinsic value of that object. This continued after the invention of writing, of course. Speaking or writing a name invoked the object (or its power, for abstract objects) thus named.

In more modern times, we know (being silly rational beings [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) that names are just labels. You would all refer to me as "Azred", knowing that it is not my real name; I, of course, would answer, knowing that "Azred" is not my name. There is nothing wrong with the name Osama bin Laden, it just happens to be the name that a terrorist leader has (or had). In fact, Belle (not her real name [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img] ) named TJ (which stands for Timothy James) back in June 1995. I bet you thought of Oklahoma City just now, didn't you?

Anyway, names themselves are irrelevant. I understand that people might want to forbid some names, but if you do that then you simply give more power to that name. The whole concept of names and their psychological or religious power could fill a couple of scholarly works.

[img]graemlins/saywhat.gif[/img] Did I really say all that? [img]graemlins/petard.gif[/img]

[ 09-05-2002, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: Azred ]

[K T Ong]

The issue becomes even more complex when one brings into consideration the fact that the same name can sometimes mean very different things to different people. Take Genghis Khan (or Genghis ■■■■, rather). The Mongolians today still venerate him as a hero but I think he's one of the greatest bastards who ever lived -- after all, he killed millions of people. And what about the name Mohammed? Muslims venerate this name as the name of the world's greatest prophet, but what about the West?

And BTW, Azred, it's Confucius. With only one 'o'.

[ 09-05-2002, 11:27 PM: Message edited by: K T Ong ]

[debiler]

Originally posted by Azred: In more modern times, we know (being silly rational beings [img]tongue.gif[/img] ) that names are just labels. You would all refer to me as "Azred", knowing that it is not my real name; I, of course, would answer, knowing that "Azred" is not my name. There is nothing wrong with the name Osama bin Laden, it just happens to be the name that a terrorist leader has (or had).

Yes, but if one does name a child like that terrorist leader on purpose, i.e. because there is a terrorist leader who has that name, it is not right.

[Azred]

K T Ong: I'm from the West. What do I know? [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh3.gif[/img]

But you're right, I didn't take perception of the power behind a name into account. Even a relatively harmless-sounding name like "dubya" seems to really polarize people. Weird. [img]graemlins/beigesmilewinkgrin.gif[/img]

debiler: Why? If you make a name taboo then it becomes special; whether positive or negative, names that are set apart are more special than other names. Recall that in the early Hebrew religion, the name of God was so special that only a very select few priests even knew the name and only the high priest was allowed to write or pronounce it.
I'm not saying we should forget what his organization has done over the years, but don't attach value to his name by making it forbidden.

[Paladin2000]

If those stupid couple would consider changing the name to a more "German"ish nature, the government *might* consider their application. Say, Bin Ladin Von Hitler sounds kinda catchy, isn't it?

No? How about Bin Ladin Von Al-Qaeda?

[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[ 09-06-2002, 02:15 AM: Message edited by: Paladin2000 ]