Men in Saudi Arabia are generally not called by their given names, but as the father of their oldest son. The same goes for women. So if a couple's oldest son is named Sultan, the father would be called Abu Sultan, and the mother would be called Umm Sultan. If the children are only daughters, then the oldest daughter's name is used, but only until a male child is born, at which time the parents would be known as the father or mother of the male child. To those not familiar with this custom or cultural tradition, it may not seem fair and might appear to slight the female children of the family. Many businesses in Saudi Arabia are also named in this manner.
3 comments:
Very peculiar... but useful to know for any future writing.
I will never understand this part of Saudi Arabian culture. If they are going to bring down their growth rate they are going to have to value girls as well as boys.
But my understanding is that the women don't usually take their husband's name upon marriage? Still it's hard to get away from male dominance of names even in other places. For instance,I carried my father's name before marriage and my husband's after. That aside, I think being named after your kids is kinda charming...
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