Naming a baby Ali or Omar? It matters
On top of all the other dangers that keep parents awake at night in Iraq, some of them face a new and agonizing choice – what to name their children that won’t doom them.
"We worried about a name that sounds too Shiite," a friend told me about his son, born a month ago. In the end, they called him Ali – a name common to both Sunnis and Shiites.
With sectarian violence sweeping Baghdad, some Sunni parents as well are thinking twice about giving their new-born children identifiably Sunni names.
It’s a new dilemma. It reflects the increase in attacks simply because a person is the wrong religion in the wrong place at the wrong time. For the most part there’s no way to tell whether someone is Sunni or Shiite or Christian unless they make a point of dressing differently.
But some of the names are giveaways.
In Iraq, Omar is almost always Sunni and Haider tends to be Shiite. But some names like Ali and Hussein – two Imams particularly revered by Shiite Muslims – are common among Sunnis as well. Almost all of the names are rooted in Islamic history.
Iraqis say one of the biggest dangers now is being stopped at illegal checkpoints by militia members or being singled out of crowds by gunmen looking for either Sunnis or Shiites to kill. While parents are adept at disguising their identities, it’s much harder to get children to lie about their names.
But while you can relatively easily change a first name, tribal names which more clearly indicate Shiite or Sunni tribes are more problematic. There’s a solution for that though. "You can buy any kind of ID now for $25," one Iraqi tells me.
The fake IDs can change your name, your occupation and Iraqis hope – get them past those checkpoints and through another day.
Fighting terrorism on the water
EMAIL THIS
advertisement
Slide Show
- Life beyond the violence
Suicide attacks and murders due to sectarian conflict continue around Iraq. See how residents live their lives amid the attacks.
Read the Nightly News blog
Voltaire said,"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." You don't need a religious leader to tell you that God exists (believe or don't)or how to treat people. Of course religion will never cease to be and people will continue to choose to brainwash or be brainwashed.The problem is that the Bush administration did not bother (or care) to fully realize the ramifications of entering a war in that region of the world. Of course, we know why they didn't care. The love of money.... What now? Iran? North Korea?
J. M., Los Angeles, CA (Sent Oct 9, 2006 1:27:54 PM)
I hate to bring up the holocaust, because it is usually so overused, but in this case I see a similarity. Iraqis, unfortunately, can learn lessons from the Jews under Hitler. They tried many different ways to disquise their identities and appear "non Jewish" to avoid being killed. It's really sad that, yet again, something similar is happening in the world. LUCKILY, not on the same scale.
Dave (Sent Oct 10, 2006 4:14:51 AM)
To Gulraiz Malik: democracy is imperfect. Our election was stolen from us. Bush went on a vendetta against Hussein, the American public who refused to vote for him (when our votes were actually counted, not thrown away), and against all in the world who did not embrace a narrow, conservative evangelical view of religion and politics. The bigger truth probably involves money, oil, reconstruction projects to Halliburton, and revenge. My heart aches for the victims of the misery & bloodshed this supreme court-appointed leader has thrust upon us all. Many Americans hope and pray that you and the rest of the world can forgive America and realize that millions of Americans were shouted down, and our press people were intimidated and fired when they spoke out. Our freedoms have been curtailed - perhaps forever. Our "democracy" is no longer a model for any other country.
CDB (Sent Oct 10, 2006 12:22:35 PM)
Dave, there is a holocaust happening right now in Africa and the rest of the world is ignoring it. So I would not use the adjective "LUCKILY" to describe anything right now.
"We have a problem with no solution, but to love and to be loved. Let's just hope that is enough."
"We crawled from the oceans to paint in the caves, but I'm working all weekend. I need to get paid."
-Conor Oberst
THC, plano, tx (Sent Oct 10, 2006 3:29:47 PM)
It is interesting to see how many comments blame religion for all the trouble in the world when historically there has been more carnage done at the hands of athiests. We need look no further back than the 20th century. Nazi Germany, Communist Viet Nam, Korea and Cambodia, Communist USSR and its Gulag's, Idi Amin, Papa Doc, Rowanda, Sierra Leone, Angola, Zimbabwe, Libya, Cuba. Communist China has turned its prisons into human organ harvesting facilities. It isn't religion or the lack there of that kills, people kill. God is not to blame for the violence of His sinful creatures.
Kathleen Klok (Sent Oct 11, 2006 12:49:48 PM)
I honestly believe that the government knew that 911 was going to happen and just let them do it. I also believe it gave them the excuse to invade anyone they like and say they are fighting terrorism.
Why, with all our genuis and technology have we not captured Bin Laden? Because we dont want to. If we catch him its over. So what is it the government really wants? Thats the question.. I dont think it is oil. I am not quite sure what it is but I have a feeling it is much darker than oil. I am not normally a conspiracy theory type but I have watched the hype of 911, the slip up where we where told one of the planes was shot down (apparently it was a slip of the tongue) This war has nothing to do with terrorism or 911. This is our government up to something much much more sinister.
anonymous (Sent Oct 11, 2006 11:40:37 PM)
{"It is interesting to see how many comments blame religion for all the trouble in the world when historically there has been more carnage done at the hands of athiests."}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't know that anyone is blaming G*d. However, 'organized' religion HAS been responsible for more carnage in the name of religion, and organized religion does not simply include Christianity either.
Kiernan - Boise, Idaho (Sent Oct 12, 2006 12:50:53 AM)
Can anyone tell me why the US is blamed for EVERYTHING going on in the world and hated so much, even in places we have nothing to do with any of their turmoil! Blame the US, its their fault! Yet we are the 1st country to be called up to solve other nations problems from financial aid, famine, desease, etc. I for one am sick of all of this US bashing. If you don't like our country then move out, please. Or don't come here! The Liberals have distorted everything....read the book Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies by Gregg Jackson. I think it will answer a lot of questions why this country is in the state it is in. As for the situation in Iraq, I think it is time the people in Iraq start standing up for themselves and instead of spying on the forces so they can hide an IED to kill us, why not spy on the insurgents and take back control of their own country. There is so much hate within their own nation for their own how can anything be solved. They were born with a gun in their hands and taught to kill from day one. The Middle East has been fighting over everything even before Christ's time, why do we think it will ever stop an everyone over there can live in peace, when apparently they have no idea what that means! I am sorry that we went out of country, but we did and you can read the reasons for that in the book I mentioned. The US had to stand up against the British here to make this country into something good for us. Unfortunately it seems like everything has been born from bloodshed, I wish that was not the way it has to be for anyone. It would be nice to sit down at a table and come to conclusions with out wars. Ignorance, terror, in the differences in all people prevent that from happening. The more educated, tolerant and open we are can start to make all the differences in the world every where. Don't teach hate and prejudice, teach tollerance, acceptance and love.
SwimGal, MA (Sent Oct 16, 2006 3:53:44 PM)
SEND A COMMENT
PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to this post, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.