Sunday Times 2
Parents banned from naming their son ‘Wikileaks’
A set of parents have been banned from naming their son Wikileaks by a registry office, for fear that it could endanger the child’s welfare.
Hajar Hamalaw, 28, from southern Germany, originally from Iraq, wanted to name his newborn child after the online whistle-blowing platform because of his admiration for the site.
However, authorities in Passau, Bavaria vetoed his choice of name, and have banned him from legally naming his son after the site.
Mr Hamalaw said he wanted to name his son ‘Wikileaks’ because he believed it had ‘changed the world’.
Mr Hamalaw, a journalist who has lived in Passau for the last eight months, has made no secret of his adoration for the cables website.
He said: ‘The Wikileak revelations caused a great stir worldwide.
‘Especially the ones about Iraq, where we come from.’
But because of the Bavarian registry authority, Wikileaks did not make it onto the birth certificate.
Mr Hamalaw said: “The registrar said that this was not a first name.
‘He thought it was a series or TV show.’
A spokesperson for the town of Passau said the decision by the registry office was based on legal rulings.
The rulings state a child’s name should not be granted if it could endanger their welfare.
Eventually, Hamalaw named his son Dako on the birth certificate instead, according to the Passauer Neue Presse.
© Daily Mail, London