Our oldest son’s name is Jamal. The quick way to explain it is, our religion is global. It is literally worldwide but its roots, where it started, was Iran. Baha’is have always been persecuted in Iran because for one thing, they came after Muhammed. Secondly, some of the main principles of the Faith are things like equality of men and women; science and religion go hand in hand; and the essential oneness of all major religions under one God. These principles are not often supported by the current government of Iran. Jamal is a beautiful name meaning beauty but is a man’s name. We called our son “Jamie” until he was 7 years old when he announced, “My name is Jamal” and that was that. In TODAY’S climate, he has been assumed to be black, or Arabic, neither of which helps him to land a big job in Milwaukee (the most racially divided city in America). It has been suggested to him by well-meaning business associates that he should change his name to “Jim Hall”. Recently, a neighbor asked Jamal & his wife “if he practiced Shariah law”. And frankly, well-meaning African Americans have asked me, “Why does your son have a black name?” It’s not a black name, it is an Arabic name & we just happened to like it. It is a very masculine name, if you are global-minded. In high school his soccer team nickname was Jamal (he’s not) Black. This was printed onto the back of his soccer t-shirt. Our youngest son’s name is LEVIN. It’s Russian & comes from the book ANNA KARENINA. No religious significance whatsoever. A black graduate student once started laughing hysterically when I told him my son’s name. He said, “OMG do you know what you’ve done to him? Employers will assume he’s either black or Muslim.” I say, “Let your vision be world embracing and not confined to your own selves.”— Baha’i writings.
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