Saudi Arabia bans 50 blasphemous, royal and foreign baby names
Kingdom makes naming of babies much easier after eliminating options such as Alice, Linda and Binyamin

ALICE and Amir are on a list of 50 names that Saudi Arabia has released in an effort to clean up what it sees as the blasphemous, foreign-influenced naming of children. Many of the names that will now be forbidden in the strict Muslim kingdom are popular across the Middle East.
The names on the list published by the interior ministry fall into three categories: foreign names, blasphemous names and names relating to royalty.
Popular Western options like Alice and Linda appear on the list, as well as Malika (which means ‘queen’) and Amir (prince).
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Names that are not uncommon across the Arab world, such as Malak (angel) and Jibreel (Gabriel), are also banned for being blasphemous, the Sunday Telegraph reports.
Some names fall foul of the multiple interpretations attributed to them. Abdul, for example, means ‘worshipper of’ or ‘slave of’. Some strict Muslims argue that only Allah can be worshipped, so a name such as Abdul Nabi (worshipper of the Prophet) would be blasphemous.
But there seems to be a fourth category of names on the banned list: otherwise inoffensive names that happen to have been given to enemies of Saudi Arabia.
Gulf News points out that Binyamin, which has been banned, is a perfectly good Muslim name. Binyamin is believed in Islam to be the son of the Prophet Jacob. Unfortunately it is also the name of the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. The same goes for Abdul Naser, more commonly spelt ‘Nasser’ in the West and the name of the Arab nationalist and Egyptian leader who was at odds with Saudi Arabia.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
August 30 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump's role reversal and King George III
-
5 bullseye cartoons about the reasons for mass shootings
Cartoons Artists take on gun worship, a price paid, and more
-
Lisa Cook and Trump's battle for control the US Fed
Talking Point The president's attempts to fire one of the Federal Reserve's seven governor is represents 'a stunning escalation' of his attacks on the US central bank
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctions
The Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Japan is opening up to immigration – but is it welcoming immigrants?
Under the Radar Plummeting birth rates and ageing population leaves closed-off country 'no choice' but to admit foreign workers, but tensions are growing with newly arrived Muslims
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests