The Egyptian authorities are considering to a place ban on parents giving their children Western names, with a possible jail sentence for offenders.A draft law banning the use of foreign names like “Mark”, “Lara” and “Sam” was introduced by MP Bedier Abdel Aziz and was discussed by his country’s parliament on Tuesday.
According to the Egypt Independent newspaper, he claims that a spread of American and European names in new generations will divorce Egyptians from their true identity.
He said; “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,”
Aziz who also claimed that Western names can be hard to pronounce, suggested punishment of up to $250 fine or six months in prison for offenders.
If the ban finally puts in place, Egypt would join Saudi Arabia who in 2014 banned 50 names, including Linda, Sandy, and Alice.
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