Thursday, March 19, 2009

Why Obama Should Embrace the Hussein Name

The silence by Obama and the national media on Obama’s middle evokes images of Prince, the controversial pop music icon from the twin cities of St Paul –Minneapolis, who changed his name to a name-less sign. The U.S. President-elect whose full name is Barack Hussein Obama has been forced by circumstances to go the way of pop icon Prince –Barack’s middle name is no name. Can Barack be faulted for this move? Extreme right wingers seeking to portray Barack Obama as a Muslim extremist have been having a field day with the Hussein name. Of course, bearing the same name of one of the world’s most brutal dictators (Saddam Hussein) can be an odd coincidence that may send chills through the American populace. The issue in itself is so touchy that even by writing about it, I risk alienating some Obama fans, as my effort can be perceived as giving comfort to mischief makers and avowed enemies of Obama.

I take the position that with the election over, Obama should seize the moment and embrace his middle name and allow the media and the public to use it. This is important for the following reasons: (1) reaffirming his comfort with his roots as the son of a Muslim African (2) Extinguishing American prejudice against anything Islamic (3) neutralizing the H-name’s ridicule and phobia, (4) Living up to his inclusiveness tag and (5) you don’t let your opponent define you.

Reaffirming his comfort with his roots as the son of a Muslim African: The Hussein name is distinctively Islamic and makes Obama the bona fide hybrid of Anglo-Afro-Christo-Islamic individual that he is, a la Tiger Wood’s Cablinasian. Obama’s uniqueness is his very entity as a multiracial and multicultural son of America and Africa. Embracing all these multifaceted parts of his being projects strength and confidence, and a sense of comfort with who he is as a global citizen. On the contrary, denying a part of his distinctive multi-layered cultural identity may suggest weakness and diffidence of his background. Obama’s rejection of his name Barack for a more American-sounding Barry exposed this inner struggle. Re-embracing the name Barack signaled regaining of personal strength and a sense of comfort with himself. And, lo and behold, as the uniqueness of the name Barack alone helps make him stand out, so will the uniqueness of the name Hussein in American politics give him that aura of exceptionality.

To help extinguish American prejudice against anything Islamic: Islam is arguably the most hated religion in the United States and America’s disdain for anything Islamic knows no boundary. But having a stereotypical Muslim name like Hussein as President would help Americans confront such unfounded prejudice against Muslims. Whilst his supporters worry that embracing the name Hussein may strengthen the Muslim tag imposed on Obama, I believe it would rather help educate the larger America society that people ought not to be discriminated against on the basis of their religion. Americans getting used to a president with a Muslim name would cause us to be more accepting of Islam and Muslim. Shying away from such a potentially positive effect on the American people would be a grave mistake for President-elect Obama.

Neutralizing the H-name’s ridicule and phobia: Both his detractors and comedians alike, are mocking the H-name, for the simple fact that Obama and his advisors are uncomfortable with the name Hussein. Once people know that Big H is Obama’s name and there is nothing wrong with using it, they may cease making fun of it. The humor and fun in ridiculing it will just wear thin.

Living up to the inclusiveness tag: Barack Obama has become the embodiment of a global citizen. As the quintessential citizen of an increasingly integrated and interdependent world, it will pay for Obama to reintroduce to the world a middle name that reflects the religion of about one-quarter of the world’s population. Not only would the Hussein name make the Middle East and the rest of the Arab world feel better about America, it would almost by extension also make them feel a part of the United States and help ease Muslim and Arab hostility to America. What is in a name, the old saying goes. In this case, a lot, and Barack Obama has virtually nothing to lose from embracing his given middle name. On the contrary, Barack, America and the world have a lot to gain from Obama embracing the H name.

You don’t let your opponent define you: A fundamental rule of politics postulates that: thou shall not let thy enemies define. If you do something in reaction to your enemy’s attack or ridicule, it shows a sign of weakness rather than strength. And Barack’ dropping of his middle name ward off enemies’ attacks and ridicule may suggests he suffers from the ailment of spinelessness. It amounts to caving in to an innocuous pressure or assault on something as and fundamental as persons given name –Barack did not chose the name Hussein—a person’s name should be off-limits to any kind of political attack or mockery.

Names have, on the surface, seemed trivial but they always carry significant implications. And in this particular case, a lot of noise has been made about Barack Obama’s middle name since he started running for president. The best way to put the issue to rest once and for all is for the new U.S. president-elect to embrace “the untouchable H” and tell the whole world: I am proud to be Barack Hussein Obama.

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