The Egyptian government has threatened to jail parents who give their children western names.
The parliament in its deliberation is considering a jail term of up to six months for parents who opt for English names for their children such as Pamela, Sam, Lara etc.
The draft which is being deliberated on the floor of the house was introduced by MP Bedier Abdel Aziz and is aimed at discouraging parents from adopting ‘Western’ names for their children.
Egypt Independent reported that the sponsor of the bill said: “The fine should be between LE1,000- LE5,000($60-$300) and the sentence should be six months at the most.”
He further added that: “using such Western names and abandoning Arabic ones will lead to an undesired and radical change in our society and culture. Our sons will no longer be connected to their true identity.”
Speaking on his motivation for the proposed bill, the sponsor, MP Abdel-Aziz explained that Western names such as ‘Lara’, Mark’ or ‘Sam’ are difficult to pronounce for other Arabs.
Following the introduction of the draft to the floor of the parliament, there has been massive outrage among social media users who have since condemned the bill adding that it is a trivial matter which should be discarded by the Egyptian Parliament.