Cultural appropriation ?

[lovelychops]

I'm confused about this. There's someone I know of who has recently given their child an Arabic name. They are both white British with no connections to the name through family etc but have decided to use a common Muslim name.
Was wondering what people thought about this ? It's a gorgeous name but don't know if it's appropriate ?
Obviously they are free to name their child as they see fit, that's a given. But my question is - is it appropriate ? I've been reading a lot about cultural appropriation lately and it's got me wondering... I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts

(I can't say the name it's very outing)

I don’t think it is so much cultural appropriation as some names travel between cultures far more easily than others. The latter seem to require a cultural link on the parents behalf.

I think the name Priya is absolutely beautiful, but I am very white with no cultural connection to the name. It would be weird for me to call my child Priya. Whereas I could easily get away with calling a child Rohan, perhaps because of its similarity to Rowan.

Lucia is Italian and used in the UK. No eyebrows raised. Flavia, with zero Italian connection, people would think a little odd. Same with Luca and Jacopo.

Many names have Arabic roots so I really can't see the problem?! Zara, Jasmine, Layla, Lila, Ines. So I really think it depends on the name, can't you tell us OP?! Mohammed would be a bit odd...

I think cultural appropriation is generally nonsense, but there is something odd about choosing a name from a culture you have no connection to. Have at it though, I don't think it really matters.

However I think it's important to keep to the spelling used within the country it originates from. I always eyeroll at the muppets who want to Anglicise Irish names - not talking about Orlaith/Orla, but Neeve for Niamh etc. It makes you look uneducated.

Raven

I find non Welsh people using Bryn, Dylan, Rhys (or Reese) for daughters irritating. The lack of interest in the culture they’re being borrowed from feels extremely dismissive.

I wouldn't consider using a name to be cultural appropriation. There are a lot of things that are in my mind but names isn't one of them.

Arab and Japanese names seem to be on the rise and I can't see an issue with that.

We are far too name obsessed in the UK. None of my friends from elsewhere can quite get their head around the strong opinions that name can conjure up. I imagine it is linked to our class obsession.

I find non Welsh people using Bryn, Dylan, Rhys (or Reese) for daughters irritating. The lack of interest in the culture they’re being borrowed from feels extremely dismissive.

Oh definitely, along with the "ur bubz ur rulz" attitude some have. I think using a name is fine (barring maybe religious significance or something?) but you have to keep to the conventions around the name.

There's something a bit ch*y IMO about using Welsh and Irish names when there is no connection.

It really really depends on the name. My mum has a bee in her bonnet about everyone using Jewish names when they aren’t Jewish but people don’t necessarily know as Jacob, Ezra etc are so common now they’re just names.

I think it depends - names like Zara etc are common

I think if it's a name with particular religious meaning or is uncommon then yeah it's a bit funny

I knew an Aisha who was very white and it was weirdly unsuited to how blonde and loud she was!

It's like meeting British girls with Asian names and no background, bit weird

Cultural appropriation is when dominant cultures pick and choose bits of oppressed cultures and 'whitewash' them so they become acceptable, or more acceptable for the appropriating majority to have/use than for the culture they came from.

Using an Arabic could come into this category. A white person called Mohammed (whilst they may raise some eyebrows) won't experience the same discrimination as an Asian person. Layla Smith will have an easier time in life than Layla al Haddachi.

Even taking that out of the equation it's a bit weird, though lots of Arabic names are mainstream in the U.K. and not even recognised as Arabic.

My name’s a Latin name. The Romans conquered Britain so...

It’s also used in a lot of other European countries.

UnderMajor - names like Ezra and Jacob are Biblical too though, and thus also Christian, and some names of Hebrew origin cross the three major Abrahamic religions.

I have however, met a non-Jewish girl named Orli, which did make me raise my eyebrows. To me that is Jewish.

@CheeseTheDay
Agree! I had a Christian upbringing and chose to reflect that by giving my boys names from my favourite stories in the Old Testament. I've been asked several times whether we are Jewish (they are fairly common names)

the only way "foreign" names can go wrong if people terribly misspell/mispronounce them. Exception of biblical names because different languages "translated" them centuries ago

Kinda surprised by the replies! I don't have an issue with this either. But when I posted asking what people thought of my short list, the hawaiian name I liked got shot down because I wasn't from there and everyone said it was weird and inappropriate!

I don't think it's cultural appropriation but I do think that it's weird, and like a PP said, it's often very dismissive of the other culture. It often ignores the history and meaning of the name. I particularly don't like seeing names from other cultures used purely in a bid to be 'unique' or different. I hate seeing what has been done to names like Isla, which I would consider to be a beautiful, traditional Scottish name but now on here I see comments that it's 'common' because so many people have named their child it in an attempt to be different. It changes what the name means to people and I find that very sad.

i think UK is so multicultural that almost any name or spelling is fair game and there is no way of knowing if someone has Welsh, or Jewish or whatever family connections (unless they personally tell you).

Meanwhile, where I come from originally, names have to either be of native language or Christian (catholic saints rather than biblical). Anything foreign is frowned upon - either screams "parents watch too much trashy tv" or simply taking a piss.

Well I don't know, I have a niece called 'Leila' (white British) - is that OK with you?

oh and I know a Welsh 'Aysha'...I think her mother had done a lot of travelling..

I think the whole 'cultural appropriation' thing is easy to sling around.

In some cases isn't it more a case of 'cultural flattery'??

I think it depends a lot on how much it's already been used by non-Muslims. You could get away with Ayesha or Omar, but not so much Rehana or Iqbal (and it would definitely be wise to steer clear of Mohammed, which is obviously very sacred to Muslims).

I would turn this issue around - if you choose a very foreign name to be cool and unique - isn't it disrespectful to YOUR OWN culture?

From the perspective of the child: I have an unusual name from a culture my family has no connection to (in fact a culture which no longer exists) and it’s shitty. My siblings all have “normal” traditional English names which I think makes it worse. But regardless of that I’ve had a life time of spelling mistakes, pronunciation mistakes, never being able to buy a personalised headband, using the phrase “no my parents just liked it”. It doesn’t seem like a big deal but actually as a kid it was frustrating and upsetting. This goes for all unusual names but it’s doubley embarrassing having to say, nope no connection to that culture at all, my parents just liked the sound of it.