Names that remind you of Dubai/Middle East

[FreshCop]

Sister is preg with twins and wants a name that will be a reminder of living in Dubai (currently she's a teacher at a school there)

Any suggestions?

So far she has taken a liking to Noor/Noora which means moonlight and for a boy Faris.

Is Noor not appropriate for a British child or how about Amira which I’ve heard quite a lot recently?

Speaking as someone with Arab Muslim children and grandchildren, we all live in the Middle East I’ve no idea why your sister would want to do this and I’ll admit to raising my eyebrows a bit when I come across people who’ve done this.

Perhaps look for Biblical names instead.

Aisha
Zara
Nasreen
Amira
Farah
Aaliyah
Amina
Mina

Abdal
Adnan
Amal
Malik
Omar
Amir
Ali
Samir

we all live in the Middle East I’ve no idea why your sister would want to do this and I’ll admit to raising my eyebrows a bit when I come across people who’ve done this.

it was thought of in a respectful way and I suppose many names cross cultures these days, kids are called all sorts now.

for example “jasmine” “laila” and “aisha” works across the board here.

Sidiqi - Almost everyone had their own 'recipe' for Sid 😉
Ibrihim
Ishtan

Shia
Amoura
Maryam
Latifa

Joaina.
I love Noor too.

Karim.

Priya

I suppose many names cross cultures these days

They do, but it only really works/makes sense when the child has a parent or other family connection from the culture their name relates to.

Perhaps Amira but Noor is very Arabic

Alexander nn Sandy

I know a Dutch last called Noor. Apparently it’s the Dutch diminutive of Eleonore (Eleanor).

Yes, pretty much. The 'j' is more of a zj sound, but Lou-Jane isn't far off.

And the Saudi government would hate it, so even better.

@JennyForeigner i just googled it, it means gold, how lovely.

I know the UAE has a big history of pearl diving and it’s very special in their culture however the name for that is Lulu and Lulwa which I don’t think would work very well in the UK. Lulu doesn’t seems like a “full” name to me but a nickname.

Are they Muslim or from the UAE OP- ?

Maya
Yasmin
Reem
Miriam
Leena

@TTCBBY3 Personally I agree with you-

Perhaps they should consider Pearl? Subtle but beautiful.

Yasmin
Hanna
Leila
Alma
Sarah
Reem
Nour
Sophia
Samira
Lena

There are so many lovely names

Zayn
Yahya
Omar
Rami

Pearl or Noora/Norah/Nora for a girl works really well as is cross cultural whilst also being a nod to where they were from.

I really like Riyadh for a boy!

And yes there are some serious issues with Dubai but there are also millions of people who live there - including the people who are beheaded. A country is more than its leaders:

People are beheaded in dubai?

Think that in Saudi not Dubai that has public beheadings

I'm mixed race and born in Abu Dhabi. Are you and your sister of Arabic ancestry? Otherwise I would be judging you for using a name that has familial/strong ties to a region when you have no connection to it apart from working there?
Not cultural appropriation as such- but definitely a grey area. Yes- some names such as Jasmine and Leila are now accepted as being across culture, but some names I would be asking what connection you have as I feel it would be inappropriate.
However- there is no law and a name can cross cultures when enough people use it. So just be aware.
Congratulations by the way.

No. It’s not respectful. It’s silly (at the very least).

Jasmine? In all of my 47 years in this part of the world I’ve only ever come across the name Jasmine on a cartoon. The correct pronunciation is something completely different but Jasmine (pronounced that way) would probably be ok as most people inside or outside of the of the Middle East would assume the name had been chosen because it’s the name of a flower that smells nice.

Aisha was the wife of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). So just why would you name a child Aisha unless you were doing it because Aisha being the wife of the Prophet (PBUH) had meaning for you?

Laila in its simplest form may mean night or dark but there is also a relevant Islamic connection to the name - Laila Bint Al Minhal, who was a companion of the Prophet (PBUH) and the wife of Malik Bin Nuwayra.

From the last two examples above it should be easy for most people to understand why doing what you’re sister intends to do is far from showing respect and it is in fact ignorant as well as cringeworthy.

That is an Indian, Hindu name.

Yes I agree with this.