Dirty Word in Arabic Rejected

[blastfromthepast]

Diplomat Whose Name Is Dirty Word in Arabic Rejected as Saudi Ambassador
Thursday, February 04, 2010

A high-ranking Pakistani diplomat reportedly cannot be appointed ambassador to Saudi Arabia because in Arabic his name translates into a phrase more appropriate for a porn star, referring to the size of male genitals, Foreign Policy reported.

The Arabic transaltion of Akbar Zeb to "biggest d**k" has overwhelmed Saudi officials who have refused to allow his post there.

Zeb has run into this problem before when Pakistan tried to appoint him as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, where he was rejected for the same reason, according to Foreign Policy.

[Vlaen]

I guess the Saudi's thought his name was too much of a mouth full...

[websjapan]

"he has a wife you know... incontinentia buttocks"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2K8_jgiNqUc

[blastfromthepast]

Akbar is a customary Muslim name for Arabic and non-Arabic speakers alike. The same cannot be said for Zeb. The name is common in Urdu, however in Arabic it is merely a slang reference to the male reproductive organ.

In hopes of minimizing the use of the word in public, Saudi Arabia has refused to accredit Mr. Zeb for the position.

According to the Arab Times, this is the third instance in which an Arabic-speaking country has refused Mr. Zeb’s ambassadorship. The United Arab Emirates rejected the diplomat first, followed by Bahrain, and now Saudi Arabia has added its name to the list.

“It's hard to imagine that someone's name would be a problem, especially on this level, but I understand why the governments reacted this way,” Saudi cultural critic Ahmed Al-Omran told The Media Line. “It crosses a cultural red line so I don't think the media would dare to publish a name like this. So every time he would be in the media they would have to face the name issue and it would make it difficult to work with him. That would just be an embarrassment for Pakistan.”

http://www.albawaba.com/en/news/260720