I find that suggestion quite offensive. No decent person would judge an individual by their name - and I'm certainly not going to change it for the bigots who think that because I have a Muslim name I must be a terrorist.
can you blame for their bigotry, where a suicide bombers comes up with exclusively an Islamic name?
there is a fixated thought that there has to be the other's side fault. where situation created by the culprits themselves.
From a practical point of view it may make things easier in some instances - but for that I must give up the name my parents gave me and has become part of me. For that I must bow to the shallow and ignorant who want to herd us into easy identifiable groups so they can pinpoint better who to aim their prejudice at.
or where not to aim their prejudice at. certain names will trigger. if I go to turkey with my surname
cohen do you think it bypass? this only to point that names are significant. an example Nazi Germany in their pursuit for Jews. and your hold on the name proves that point as well.
you would be right about bigotry if the names were occasional. but when terror occurs and the names of the perpetrators comes out with yusuf, abu jamil mahmud etc you can't point out and say that is mere bigotry and an ignorant. an ignorant perhaps but you're in minority and less heard of.
wafa sultan for instance had not change her name and enter Israel with out any disturbance that due her reputation. all this topic about the name resulted from BlackDog's question whether he will be allowed to enter Israel despite living in the west with an Islamic name tho he is not a Muslim.
And should one take this principle of acquiescing and giving to make things a little easier in some respects be applied in everything in life - or just Muslim names? Perhaps attempting to lighten the skin tone might help one get a job? Straighten that fuzzy hair perhaps? Maybe stop eating smelly curries? Chuck pictures of our Muslim parents in the bin? Or maybe if we convert to Christianity life would be even easier?
why do certain actors change their names? why do witnesses change their names? there is a necessity in certain aspects of life.
Not to mention the fact that we as Ex-Muslims should be striving to secularise our names (just as we should strive to secularise our culture) so that Muslims cannot take for granted that everyone with a Muslim name is a Muslim anymore than John or Peter are Christian.
not necessarily to make it an ideology. what should ex Muslims do imo is to think outside the box. us vs them mentality is a fixated line of thought. it is repetitive of Islamic mentality. indicates that is not a real change from muslim to ex muslim. it is simpley "the same old thing under a different cloak"
Topic: ygalg replying BlackDog