What’s in a name? My name, Ifeolu, means God’s Love in Yoruba, and symbolizes my Nigerian heritage. Recently a group of young, idealistic, Obama supporters decided to take his middle name, Hussein, as their own to express solidarity with him as he campaigns for president this fall. For the most part, I think this is a great idea, as it will hopefully help alleviate the American people’s xenophobic tendencies towards Muslim culture. But, as a good friend of mine, a cultural studies PHD candidate at Columbia University pointed out, should young Obamites blindly adopt a name from a culture that they may know nothing about?
“People are not understanding that Hussein is a name of massive historical importance in the Muslim community and it does not have “little meaning” as this girl [in the NYT article] says. Hussein was the son of Ali, grandson of the prophet Mohammed and a figure of major importance in Islam, particularly among the Shia. The battle of Karbala, where Hussein died (in Iraq no less), is one of the historical reasons that explains the Sunni-Shia divide and hostility to this day. In a time when American relations with the Muslim world MUST be ameliorated by our next president, it is all the more crucial for young and old supporters of both candidates to try and grasp some of the cultural differences that exist in the world today.”
As always, we would love to hear your thoughts. Please write to us at musicalapartheid[at]gmail[dot]com
1 year ago
