Dubai expat's wife explains newborn Modi's change to a Muslim name

Her relatives were upset that she kept a Hindu name for the Muslim boy.

A Muslim woman who had named her newborn son after Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi has now changed the baby's name to Mohd Altaf Alam Modi.
Speaking to Khaleej Times over the phone from India, the child's mother Mehnaz Begum said she cowed down under pressure from her relatives and neighbours, who were upset that she kept a Hindu name for the Muslim boy.
Also read: Dubai-based father wants Modi to bless son
"There was lot of pressure from the society and the community members. They were troubling me so much saying we don't have any right to continue as Muslims and that we should now start going to temple and worship. Our relatives did not even participate in any ceremonies at our house related to child birth," said Begum.
"I was also told that if my son's name is Narendrad Modi, he will not be allowed inside mosques and also not accepted by any madrassa. My relatives said no Muslim girl will marry him when he grows up. So, I did not want any controversies."
The woman hailing from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh said she succumbed to pressure and changed the Baby's name to Mohd Altaf Alam but still have retained the name Modi. "That I did not want to change," said Begum.
The child's father Mustaq Ahmed, who works in Hatta, Dubai had earlier told Khaleej Times that he decided to name their newborn because he was born on May 23 - the same day Modi and his party BJP won a landslide victory in the Lok Sabha polls. 
"When my wife called me with the good news on May 23, Narendra Modi had won the elections. Then I told her "Desh mein Modi agaya. Hamara ghar main bhi Modi agaya. (Modi has come in the country. And Modi has arrived in our home too.)"
Ahmed, 29, came to the UAE five years ago seeking better wages, and currently works as a maintenance staff in a small interior décor company.
But a fresh controversy is brewing over the date of the birth of the child. 
Begum had earlier claimed that her son was born on May 23, but doctors at the local hospital have stated that the child was actually born on May 12 and the mother had changed his date of birth to May 23 to get popularity, according to local media reports. 
When asked about the birth date of the child Begum told Khaleej Times she was not sure about the date.
"I don't remember exactly. I thought the birth date was May 23. Now everyone is telling me I am wrong," said the mother.
When prodded further, the woman ended the conversation saying "I don't know much about it."
The father was not reachable for a comment.  
 

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