IS YOUR NAME HARAM IN SAUDI ARABIA? HERE’S WHY THE KINGDOM BANNED THESE BABY NAMES

Riyadh, 12 Shawwal 1436/28 July 2015 (MINA) – Considered one of the most important decisions in a parent’s life, the choice is under enough scrutiny. If you’re living in Saudi Arabia, achieving that family milestone just got harder.

Saudi Arabia is known for some questionable practices: public executions, a ban on women driving, and segregated gender lines for grocery shopping. But a list of banned baby names ranks high up on the list,  Albawaba quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

If you’re a parent planning on having kids anytime soon, you may want to take a look at this complete list of banned names issued in June 2014. They range from predictable (for Saudi Arabia) to just plain confusing.

Luckily we’re here to tell you the list of reasons the kingdom cites for the outlawed names. That’s not to say the bans make sense with these explanations — far from it — but at least it gives you a window into the thoughts of the monarchy.

According to the site, here’s a complete list of banned names issued last year:

Malaak

Abdul Aati

Abdul Mueen

Abdul Nab

Abdul Naser

Abdul Musleh

Abdul Rasool

Abrar

Alice

Al-Mamlaka

Amir

Aram

Barrah

Basil

Basmala (Bismillah)

Bayan

Binyamin (Benjamin)

Elaine

Iman

Inar

Jibreel (Gabriel)

Kibrial

Lareen

Lauren

Linda

Loland

Malika

Maline

Mamlaka

Maya

Nabi

Nabiyya

Nardeen

Nareej

Naris

Rama

Randa

Rital

Sandy

Sitav

Sumuw

Tabarak

Taline

Tilaj

Yara

Wireelam. (T/P010/R04)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)