What's in a name? Disgrace and shame?

Asked by ainialyaman (19

) November 11th, 2007

I was talking with a friend the other day and she told me how her father assigned a male nick name for her mother should he have to call her in the presence of his male friends.

I wonder why many men in Yemen and some Arab countries avoid mentioning the name of a female relative in front of male strangers. What is so disgraceful in that?

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Some cultures (I can’t speak exactly to Yemen), there are public names and private names. Only the family is allowed to use the private name, and it’s a sort of secret, special, intimate name. It’s not about shame or disgrace at all, it’s about the concept of public life versus private life.

sjg102379 (1245

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