Saudi man names his newborn daughter ‘Ivanka’

A Saudi citizen named his newborn girl ‘Ivanka’ after the daughter of US President Donald Trump.

Copy of the child’s birth certificate was circulated on a large scale today on social media showing the birth name of ‘Ivanka’ on the document issued by the maternity hospital in Arar.

Al Arabiya.net spoke to Ivanka's father Salem al-Enezi, about the reason for choosing the name. He said that he and a group of young friends were discussing the improved relations between Saudi Arabia and America and he was challenged to register his daughter as ‘Ivanka’ and so he did.

Al- Enezi said when it came to official registration, he was denied permission and the head of the department assured him that the papers will be sent to the Ministry of Interior in Riyadh, but the name will most probably be rejected for being foreign.

He had to change his daughter’s name to ‘Lama’.

The father added that to him the name ‘Ivanka’ represents progress and development.

“God forgives and guides the youth of the community and their elders because some of them accused me of being a ‘liberal’ and ‘disbeliever’ while it is just a name similar to Turkish names that spread in the community like Lamis and other names. I am a Muslim conservative who believes in Allah and his Prophet,” he said.