Salaam,
FYI:
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers
A file photo of Britons protesting against racism.
CAIRO — Thousands of new immigrants, mostly Muslims, are adopting British names to avoid discrimination and fit in society.
"We saw a lot of Muslims change their names after the 9/11 attacks, but in the past few years it’s become much more widespread," Mike Barratt, chief executive of the UK Deed Poll Service, told The Times on Sunday on January 20.
Names such as Karim and Mohammad are being changed to Kevin and Michael, while Abdullah Elfayoumi became Abdullah O’Fayoumi.
"We’re seeing a 20% increase, year-on-year," said Barrat whose company is one of the country's most popular and legally authorized companies that process online documents.
The name changing trend is not only limited to Muslims and Arabs.
Indians bearing the surname *!*!*!*!al prefer to be known as Sheet and Chinese have anglicized their names by adding prefixes such as John, Jason and Sue.
In Ireland, public records show many immigrants have added a Celtic flavor to their names like Brit and Eimher.
A Deed Poll is a form of legal contract that only concerns one person. A Deed Poll binds the person who signs it to a particular course of action as detailed on the Deed Poll document.
One of its forms is a Deed of Change of Name, which contains three declarations and by executing the Deed Poll one is committing him/herself to abandoning the use of their former name; using their new name only at all times; and requiring all persons to refer to them by their new name only.
According to The Times, about 70,000 people will change their name this year using either the UK Deed Poll Service or the Name Change Company, two of the most popular companies providing such services in Britain.
In 2001, it was fewer than 20,000.
Trouble Names
Many change their often mispronounced and misspelled names to spare themselves the agony of mix-ups in official documents.
Javaid Iqbal, a seven-year-old boy, was thrilled when his mother Naushaba Nadeem, a 35-year-old doctor, decided to take him on a US trip after doing well in school.
Airport officials at their hometown Manchester told her that Javaid shares his name with a Pakistani deported from the US two months after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Flying home from Philadelphia, the computers flagged up the schoolboy's name twice.
His passport was stamped with a sticker saying he has undergone high-level security checks.
The parents, who moved to Britain from Saudi Arabia in 2002, said they were considering to change their son's name to avoid future ordeals.
Britain's first and only Muslim minister was singled out by the security officers at Dulles Airport in Washington last year.
Shahid Malik, Britain's international development minister, was detained for about 40 minutes and his hand luggage was tested for traces of explosives.
Britain is home to a sizable multi-ethnic Muslim minority of nearly 2 million, mostly of Indian, Pakistani and Bengali backgrounds.
A recent Financial Times opinion poll showed Britain was the most suspicious nation about Muslims.
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...79733386&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
FYI:
IslamOnline.net & Newspapers
A file photo of Britons protesting against racism.
CAIRO — Thousands of new immigrants, mostly Muslims, are adopting British names to avoid discrimination and fit in society.
"We saw a lot of Muslims change their names after the 9/11 attacks, but in the past few years it’s become much more widespread," Mike Barratt, chief executive of the UK Deed Poll Service, told The Times on Sunday on January 20.
Names such as Karim and Mohammad are being changed to Kevin and Michael, while Abdullah Elfayoumi became Abdullah O’Fayoumi.
"We’re seeing a 20% increase, year-on-year," said Barrat whose company is one of the country's most popular and legally authorized companies that process online documents.
The name changing trend is not only limited to Muslims and Arabs.
Indians bearing the surname *!*!*!*!al prefer to be known as Sheet and Chinese have anglicized their names by adding prefixes such as John, Jason and Sue.
In Ireland, public records show many immigrants have added a Celtic flavor to their names like Brit and Eimher.
A Deed Poll is a form of legal contract that only concerns one person. A Deed Poll binds the person who signs it to a particular course of action as detailed on the Deed Poll document.
One of its forms is a Deed of Change of Name, which contains three declarations and by executing the Deed Poll one is committing him/herself to abandoning the use of their former name; using their new name only at all times; and requiring all persons to refer to them by their new name only.
According to The Times, about 70,000 people will change their name this year using either the UK Deed Poll Service or the Name Change Company, two of the most popular companies providing such services in Britain.
In 2001, it was fewer than 20,000.
Trouble Names
Many change their often mispronounced and misspelled names to spare themselves the agony of mix-ups in official documents.
Javaid Iqbal, a seven-year-old boy, was thrilled when his mother Naushaba Nadeem, a 35-year-old doctor, decided to take him on a US trip after doing well in school.
Airport officials at their hometown Manchester told her that Javaid shares his name with a Pakistani deported from the US two months after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Flying home from Philadelphia, the computers flagged up the schoolboy's name twice.
His passport was stamped with a sticker saying he has undergone high-level security checks.
The parents, who moved to Britain from Saudi Arabia in 2002, said they were considering to change their son's name to avoid future ordeals.
Britain's first and only Muslim minister was singled out by the security officers at Dulles Airport in Washington last year.
Shahid Malik, Britain's international development minister, was detained for about 40 minutes and his hand luggage was tested for traces of explosives.
Britain is home to a sizable multi-ethnic Muslim minority of nearly 2 million, mostly of Indian, Pakistani and Bengali backgrounds.
A recent Financial Times opinion poll showed Britain was the most suspicious nation about Muslims.
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...79733386&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout
