Egyptian parliament to discuss law banning Western names

A parliamentary panel in Egypt is all set to discuss a draft law seeking to ban the usage of "foreign names" for newly born babies in the country.

The law that would be taken up for discussion on Tuesday seeks to impose a fine and in some cases sentence for people who give their children Western names.

MP Bedier Abdel Aziz, who introduced the law, is of the view that Western names such as "Lara, Mark, or Sam, are difficult to pronounce for other Arabs.

“Using such Western names and abandoning Arabic ones will lead to an undesired and radical change in our society and culture. Our sons will no longer be connected to their true identity,” he claimed.

The proposed law has sparked social media outrage, with people expressing their condemntion.