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[webfact]

Georgia grants couple's request to give daughter surname 'Allah'

By Bernie Woodall

REUTERS

 

(Reuters) - Georgia officials have granted a couple's request to issue a birth certificate giving their toddler daughter the surname "Allah" after earlier refusing to do so because neither parent has that name, civil liberties advocates said.

 

The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought a lawsuit, called the decision a victory for free expression, but a top official with the largest U.S. Muslim advocacy group criticized the choice to use the Arabic word for "God" as culturally insensitive.

 

ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah, who will soon turn 2, was born in Atlanta to parents Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk, who waited about a year before seeking a birth certificate for the child.

 

While they had no difficulties obtaining birth certificates for their older children, ages 3 and 17, who also have the surname "Allah," a clerk for the Georgia Department of Health blocked the request for the youngest child.

 

Last month, the ACLU filed suit in state court against the leaders of the state department of health and the state office of vital records to compel them to allow the surname chosen by the parents, said Sean J. Young, legal director for the ACLU of Georgia.

 

Georgia law requires that clerks allow any name chosen by the parents as long as it is not provocative or offensive, Young said in a phone interview. The department relented on Friday, and the ACLU dropped the suit.

 

Nihad Awad, national director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that while many people have names that are derivations of Allah, such as Abdullah, which means "servant of God," using "Allah" as a stand-alone surname was not culturally acceptable.

 

"You would never use just Allah. That would be considered very inappropriate," Awad said in a phone interview.

 

Young said he did not know if the couple were Muslim but that he considered the question legally irrelevant.

 

Handy and Walk, who were not available for comment, live together in Atlanta and are expecting a fourth child, Young said.

 

"This is an important vindication of parental rights," Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, said in a statement. "No one wants to live in a world where the government can dictate what you can and cannot name your child."

 

A spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Health declined to comment on the matter.

 

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Fla; Editing by Scott Malone and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-04-24

[kamahele]

Okay, they have the right to do it but why would they want to? Poor kids.

[docshock13]

Well, Allah is no worse than the other 3 names. Poor kids indeed. And another on the way. 

[Oxx]

29 minutes ago, kamahele said:

Okay, they have the right to do it but why would they want to?.

 

Because they're religious fanatics?

[Sphere]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

You would never use just Allah.

Let's just hope she doesn't marry anyone from the Hu-Akbar family....

[klauskunkel]

poor girl, tough times ahead...

 

"A boy named Sue" - Johnny Cash

"A girl named Allah" - ...

[UnkleMoooose]

Firing out kids like rabbits. It's a fair bet that they are Muslim's.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

I bet when she's about 17 and at college, she aint gonna be a happy bunny.

[jesimps]

In my opinion kids should take the surname of their parents, or one of them at least until they're legally old enough to change it themselves.

[simple1]

3 hours ago, Oxx said:

 

Because they're religious fanatics?

Maybe so, but apparently not Muslim. I was curious so looked up the first name as never heard of it before. ZalyKha originates from a religious cult...

 

https://www.kabalarians.com/cfm/SearchDocs/history.cfm

 

 

[Jonmarleesco]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought a lawsuit, called the decision a victory for free expression

Really? It looks very much more like a grand slam for pig-ignorant stupidity.

[JHolmesJr]

29 minutes ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

I bet when she's about 17 and at college, she aint gonna be a happy bunny.

No worries….she can just file a petition to turn it to Alliya Lorraine when she's able to.

 

Dumb parents.

[Rigby40]

That's all fine and dandy. Name your kid after your god but draw a picture of your prophet and it's off with your head. 

[simple1]

1 minute ago, Rigby40 said:

That's all fine and dandy. Name your kid after your god but draw a picture of your prophet and it's off with your head. 

Seems the parents adhere to a non Islamic philosophical group , the Kabalarian.

[Rigby40]

Just now, simple1 said:

Seems the parents adhere to a non Islamic philosophical group , the Kabalarian.

That's cool.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

"A decision of victory for free expression"

AHHH Georgia, Southern states of the USA.

I guess that the KKK were only expressing 'free expression then.

I lived in Georgia for a good few years, and let me tell ya people, they were still there then. And when it was the Holiday for Martin Luther king, you could dial a number on any public phone and listen to a message from the 'Grand Poohbar' of the clan. It was telling people not to celebrate the birthday of MLK but to celebrate the birthday of the man who shot him.

Justmore free expression, i suppose.

[Rigby40]

5 minutes ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

"A decision of victory for free expression"

AHHH Georgia, Southern states of the USA.

I guess that the KKK were only expressing 'free expression then.

I lived in Georgia for a good few years, and let me tell ya people, they were still there then. And when it was the Holiday for Martin Luther king, you could dial a number on any public phone and listen to a message from the 'Grand Poohbar' of the clan. It was telling people not to celebrate the birthday of MLK but to celebrate the birthday of the man who shot him.

Justmore free expression, i suppose.

It's only free expression if it doesn't hurt the left's feelings, otherwise you're literally Hitler.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

5 minutes ago, Rigby40 said:

It's only free expression if it doesn't hurt the left's feelings, otherwise you're literally Hitler.

I'm sorry, and i dont want to be off topic, but are you saying that the KKK were only expressing free expression? Do forgive me if i misunderstand.

[Rigby40]

3 minutes ago, Khon Kaen Dave said:

I'm sorry, and i dont want to be off topic, but are you saying that the KKK were only expressing free expression? Do forgive me if i misunderstand.

haha No I really only meant to quote that first sentence. My bad.

[Khon Kaen Dave]

2 minutes ago, Rigby40 said:

haha No I really only meant to quote that first sentence. My bad.

Ok mate, not to worry.

[Jingthing]

I suppose the freedom for parents to name their babies anything they like is a good thing, but personally I wouldn't mind laws where when applications come in with names that are obviously going to cause the child a great deal of grief in their lives, the parents are forced to go through at least some extra hoops before it's approved. 

But it's a hard thing to always be objective about.

Some people have family names that are problematical in one culture (and fine in another). Should the state force people to change their family names? I think not. 

 

For example, a Thai family name like Pornpoo. Imagine a Thai in the U.S. with that name naming their child STAR. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by Jingthing

[dick dasterdly]

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

I suppose the freedom for parents to name their babies anything they like is a good thing, but personally I wouldn't mind laws where when applications come in with names that are obviously going to cause the child a great deal of grief in their lives, the parents are forced to go through at least some extra hoops before it's approved. 

But it's a hard thing to always be objective about.

Some people have family names that are problematical in one culture (and fine in another). Should the state force people to change their family names? I think not. 

 

For example, a Thai family name like Pornpoo. Imagine a Thai in the U.S. with that name naming their child STAR. 

This case is about a couple changing their childrens' surnames to Allah.

 

Presumably the parents (who haven't bothered changing their own surname?) have their own reasons that are incomprehensible to anyone else at this point.  Even given their own (unknown) reasons, why lumber their kids with a surname that they can only change when they're old enough to do so?

[Jingthing]

Yes, I can see that, but you're getting into the freedom parents have short of child abuse/neglect. It's hard for the state to argue that a name is child abuse. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by Jingthing

[sandemara]

Aren't we forgetting we're talking about people appropriating the name of an imaginary entity. Who's it going to hurt? Any noticeable repercussions for the thousands (millions?) of Hispanics called Jesus? All this angst and indignity might be better stored for when your brother or sister announces their first-born will be baptised Pinocchio, or Hesperus (in anticipation of future hangover days). For an infant, I would think Godzilla might have more honesty.

[dick dasterdly]

9 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes, I can see that, but you're getting into the freedom parents have short of child abuse/neglect. It's hard for the state to argue that a name is child abuse. 

Whilst I understand your point about state involvement, I expect their children will receive abuse from other kids at school - which is why I blame the parents entirely for insisting that their kids' surnames be changed to Allah.

 

If the parents have a bee in their bonnet about something or the other, then they should change their own surnames - not their childrens' surnames.

[dick dasterdly]

Just now, sandemara said:

Aren't we forgetting we're talking about people appropriating the name of an imaginary entity. Who's it going to hurt? Any noticeable repercussions for the thousands (millions?) of Hispanics called Jesus? All this angst and indignity might be better stored for when your brother or sister announces their first-born will be baptised Pinocchio, or Hesperus (in anticipation of future hangover days). For an infant, I would think Godzilla might have more honesty.

You possibly haven't noticed that moslems aren't exactly popular at the moment - and school kids will find any excuse to pick on/laugh at another kid.

[Jingthing]

I understand different sides of this argument, but in the American context, I support the ACLU's position on this. The child may indeed be disadvantaged by this but the overall societal good of ensuring such freedoms is more important. I would compare it the case where the Nazis were allowed to march in Skokie, Illinois, in a community where there were a lot of holocaust survivors. The ACLU took the side of the Nazis about their free speech constitutional rights. I realize other nations don't hold such freedoms with such a high value. The ACLU wasn't supporting Nazi ideology with that position in any way. It was about American values of free speech. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by Jingthing

[JHolmesJr]

Frank Zappa is the first offender of this genre…he named his daughter Moon Unit.

 

 

[sandemara]

Well, Dick I can understand your concern about being teased at school because of your name (I don't want to remind you of memories that might haunt still today). But Godzilla is hardly popular and, as we all know, kids in playground gangs will turn anything  into a weapon. Logic isn't a priority.

[Rigby40]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

For example, a Thai family name like Pornpoo. Imagine a Thai in the U.S. with that name naming their child STAR. 

 

Puts me in mind of the time I walked into a book store in Bangkok and came across a book titled "Cooking with Poo"

Edited April 24, 2017 by Rigby40