Baby named ‘Jihad’ stirs controversy in France

The naming of a baby as ‘Jihad’ has stirred controversy in France. The country has suffered a string of militant attacks in recent years, as the war in Syria has caught Europe off-guard, and the baby’s name has naturally attracted a lot of attention.

The parents of the baby have been reported to the authorities in Toulouse, and France’s chief prosecutor now has to look into the matter. The judge for family issues in the country may have to rule on the case.

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Contrary to popular opinion ‘Jihad’ does not necessarily mean ‘holy war’ but may be translated as ‘struggle’ or ‘effort’ from the Arabic language.

According to French law, parents have freedom to choose their child’s name as long as it does not harm the baby’s interest or is opposed by other members of the family on representational grounds.

The term ‘Jihadists’ (an iteration of the term jihad) is commonly used to refer to militants who carry out violent attacks in the name of Islam, like the Islamic State or the Al-Qaeda.

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Militants have killed more than 230 people in the country over the past few years. Ever since the horrific attacks by the Islamic State on a Paris concert in late 2014, the French government has been ruling in a state of emergency.

A mother in the city of Nimes was given a suspended jail term and a $2,353 fine in 2013 after she let her son wear a T-shirt to school which bore the words ‘I am a bomb’ and ‘Jihad, born on Sepetember 11’.

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The shirt was deemed ‘provocative’ in her case, but the ruling was issued in relation to the events of  9/11 in the US, when terrorists had struck multiple cities in America simultaneously.

Another couple was stopped from naming their baby ‘ Nutella’ after the hazlenut spread, saying that the name would make the baby a laughing stock. An alternate name ‘Ella’ was also suggested.

This article originally appeared in MSN News

The post Baby named ‘Jihad’ stirs controversy in France appeared first on The Express Tribune.

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