Baby Donald Trump causes a stir in Afghanistan

Sayed Assadullah Pooya said he and his wife have been inundated with “vulgar and insulting” comments attacking their choice of name for their third child.

The rosy-cheeked toddler’s parents named him after the billionaire US president in the hope of replicating his success.

But now he is at the center of a social media firestorm in Afghanistan after a photo of his ID papers was posted on Facebook.

Sayed Assadullah Pooya poses with his son Donald Trump at home in Kabul. AFP-JIJI

Some Facebook users have gone as far as threatening to kill Sayed for giving his son an “infidel name”, while others have accused him of endangering the boy’s life.
“I didn’t know at the beginning that Afghan people would be so sensitive about a name,” Sayed told AFP, as Donald played with a music app on his father’s Samsung smartphone in their carpeted room.

Sayed says someone posted the picture online, sparking the controversy that forced him to close his Facebook account.

Even Sayed’s neighbors in the heavily Shia area of Kabul where they live have threatened the family and told them to leave.

“When I go out of the house I feel intimidated,” he said.

Sayed was inspired to call his son Donald Trump after reading the Persian language versions of the businessman’s books, including How to Get Rich, which he borrowed from the local library.

“I did a lot of research about him and that motivated me to choose his name for my son,” he explained.

He hopes his son will “be as successful”, adding that photos of the older Trump already make his younger namesake “happy”.

Despite the controversy, Donald’s parents have not broken the law by giving their son a Western name, according to Rohullah Ahmadzai, a senior adviser at the Population Registration Office in Kabul.

He said they have the legal right “to name their children whatever they want” – even after American presidents.

While Sayed is worried about his family’s safety, particularly Donald’s, he remains stubbornly unrepentant.

“It’s likely … that he will be harassed or beaten by his classmates,” he said matter of factly.

“I won’t reconsider [his name]. To hell with the other people.”

Source: AFP, Al Jazeera, Japan Times


The Kootneeti Team - South Asia Desk

Subscribe to the International Relations Updates by The Kootneeti

* indicates required

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Kootneeti Team

Facebook Comments

The Kootneeti Team

This report has been written by The Kootneeti Team. For any feedbacks/query reach Editor@thekootneeti.com || Twitter: @TheKootneeti

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *