Two Guys SportsInvestigating What Really is in a Name
October 11th 2008 10:38
Investigating What Really is in a Name
Something that has annoyed me to no end is the use of Barack Obama’s middle name as a sort of curse word recently. This has gone as far as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin using it in recent days. For those that might be unaware his middle name is Hussein. His father was born in Kenya into a Muslim family, even though his father chose to be an atheist when he got to the age where he could choose. His father’s name was Barack Hussein Obama, then in a type of tradition that many cultures and people practice his son was named Barack Hussein Obama, Junior.
Hussein of course is being used by people who oppose or disagree with his views and ideals. They try to say that because of the name he is a Muslim. This is ridiculous because both of his parents were atheists, he was not raised in a religious home, and when he was old enough to make his own informed decision he CHOSE to become a Christian. This is hard for many to understand since from the time of their birth they have their family’s religion essentially forced fed to them, and they never look around to see if there is something that might better fit them. Instead they just stick with what they were taught was right and just by their parents, who in turn were taught the same by their parents, and the cycle goes on and on.
A brief background on myself. I too was not brought up in a religious household. From a young age I decided, FOR MYSELF, that sure there is a God, possibly many gods. If there is a God, then sure, there must also be an evil counterpart, possibly a devil. Who am I to say there is or isn’t in either case. I do not attend a church. I have attended some churches for one reason or another throughout my life. I however worship on my own in my own way. It is a private thing to me. I don’t choose to sit in a group to affirm my own beliefs. OK, enough about me. I just felt it necessary to explain my own view on religion and worshiping after the previous paragraph.
Back to the point of this post about Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.’s name.
Hussein also has a negative connotation in today’s world thanks to former dictator Saddam Hussein, which is a whole other topic we won’t go into here.
We will begin with the name that many try to use against him, Hussein. The Arabic meaning of the name is “handsome one”, “beautiful, doer of good deeds, a descendant of the Prophet.” The origins of the name comes from the Arabic “hasuna”, which means, “to be good”, or “to be beautiful.”
One of the earliest forms of the actual name was Hasan. Hasan in Islamic tradition was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed. It might sound strange since since both names are longer than the original, but Hussein, and Husayn were originally used as a more familiar form of the name. Similar to Jonathan becoming John, or Joseph becoming Joe.
Obviously Hussein isn’t exactly a popular choice for a baby name in the United States. It has never ranked in the top 1,000 baby names for a single year. WhitePages.com ranks it as the 7,908th most common surname in the U.S. It ranks right between the names Depriest (7,906), Ginsburg (7,907) and June (7,909), and Lansing (7,910). The states in which it is most popular are Minnesota, New York, and California. As far as a given name they rank Hussein as the 3,950th name in the U.S. It comes in near names like Nicolette, Farid, Ren, and Anette. As a first name it occurs most often in Michigan, New york, and Texas.
The name Hussein as a boy’s name is much more popular in other places around the world. In one country it has even been ranked 233rd most popular, or higher every year since 1998. Want to guess where? I am going to go out on a limb here and say you guessed wrong. The country is Sweden, yes Sweden. It has ranked as high as 168th in 1999. It also has ranked 392nd, and 404th in 2005, and 2006 in Norway. In 1999 it was also ranked 533rd in Australia.
You will notice that none of the people that criticize and try to vilify his middle name make no mention of his first name. I am sure most have no idea the meaning behind his first name. Those who do, and use the name Hussein against him would never share the history of the name Barack with anyone.
In Luo and Swahili, which are the languages spoken in the birthplace of his father – Kenya, the name Barack means “blessed.” It also finds its origins in Arabic, in the word “baracka.” Both words share their meanings with the Hebrew word “baruch.” While quite a few people share the name Baruch I would like to just point out one of them, sort of. The Latinized form of the name Baruch is Benedict, yes, like Pope Benedict XVI. No one shares this association now do they?
Ready for some more religious connections? I certainly hope so. You see the name Baruch has some connections in the Bible. The prophet Jeremiah had a friend, his name was Baruch ben Neriah. Baruch was a scribe who authored the apocryphal Book of Baruch which was a canonical biblical book for the Roman Catholic church. He is also mentioned in Jewish and Christian religious lore. He has even been portrayed as a righteous sage that was actually granted a tour of heaven.
Baruch ben Neriah has in recent times shown up in archaeological finds. These finds also included Ebed-Melech, a black Ethiopian. The two are associated in rabbinic commentaries. Ebed-Melech rescued Jeremiah after he had been imprisoned by three ministers of King Zedekiah. (You can find that part in your Bible – Jeremiah 38: 1-13)
You can also find Baruch’s name along with two of those minister’s names in ancient Hebrew inscriptions on clay seals. Some of which were discovered by archaeologist Eliat Mazar in Jerusalem in 2005 and 2008, as well as on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Unfortunately as I researched his last name all I could come across were some other ludicrous rumors leading to a reason to not vote for him. “It sounds like Osama.” Some people are geniuses, aren’t they? Sadly, some have brought into that argument, and the explanation of the name Hussein. My opinion is, these people should be shipped off somewhere and never be able to make an important decision ever again. There is obviously something just wrong in their heads. I know that might be a bit extreme, but it is no more ridiculous than some trying to pass off these lies as fact and reasoning to not vote for him.
One other note i must reiterate from previous posts. Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. - NEVER a Muslim. Chose to become a Christian. Sworn into office with his hand on his family Bible, and will do so again if elected President of the United States of America.
If this post can change just one person’s thinking from believing these false ideas then I will be very happy.
Hussein of course is being used by people who oppose or disagree with his views and ideals. They try to say that because of the name he is a Muslim. This is ridiculous because both of his parents were atheists, he was not raised in a religious home, and when he was old enough to make his own informed decision he CHOSE to become a Christian. This is hard for many to understand since from the time of their birth they have their family’s religion essentially forced fed to them, and they never look around to see if there is something that might better fit them. Instead they just stick with what they were taught was right and just by their parents, who in turn were taught the same by their parents, and the cycle goes on and on.
A brief background on myself. I too was not brought up in a religious household. From a young age I decided, FOR MYSELF, that sure there is a God, possibly many gods. If there is a God, then sure, there must also be an evil counterpart, possibly a devil. Who am I to say there is or isn’t in either case. I do not attend a church. I have attended some churches for one reason or another throughout my life. I however worship on my own in my own way. It is a private thing to me. I don’t choose to sit in a group to affirm my own beliefs. OK, enough about me. I just felt it necessary to explain my own view on religion and worshiping after the previous paragraph.
Back to the point of this post about Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.’s name.
Hussein also has a negative connotation in today’s world thanks to former dictator Saddam Hussein, which is a whole other topic we won’t go into here.
We will begin with the name that many try to use against him, Hussein. The Arabic meaning of the name is “handsome one”, “beautiful, doer of good deeds, a descendant of the Prophet.” The origins of the name comes from the Arabic “hasuna”, which means, “to be good”, or “to be beautiful.”
One of the earliest forms of the actual name was Hasan. Hasan in Islamic tradition was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed. It might sound strange since since both names are longer than the original, but Hussein, and Husayn were originally used as a more familiar form of the name. Similar to Jonathan becoming John, or Joseph becoming Joe.
Obviously Hussein isn’t exactly a popular choice for a baby name in the United States. It has never ranked in the top 1,000 baby names for a single year. WhitePages.com ranks it as the 7,908th most common surname in the U.S. It ranks right between the names Depriest (7,906), Ginsburg (7,907) and June (7,909), and Lansing (7,910). The states in which it is most popular are Minnesota, New York, and California. As far as a given name they rank Hussein as the 3,950th name in the U.S. It comes in near names like Nicolette, Farid, Ren, and Anette. As a first name it occurs most often in Michigan, New york, and Texas.
The name Hussein as a boy’s name is much more popular in other places around the world. In one country it has even been ranked 233rd most popular, or higher every year since 1998. Want to guess where? I am going to go out on a limb here and say you guessed wrong. The country is Sweden, yes Sweden. It has ranked as high as 168th in 1999. It also has ranked 392nd, and 404th in 2005, and 2006 in Norway. In 1999 it was also ranked 533rd in Australia.
You will notice that none of the people that criticize and try to vilify his middle name make no mention of his first name. I am sure most have no idea the meaning behind his first name. Those who do, and use the name Hussein against him would never share the history of the name Barack with anyone.
Pope Benedict (Baruch) XVI
Ready for some more religious connections? I certainly hope so. You see the name Baruch has some connections in the Bible. The prophet Jeremiah had a friend, his name was Baruch ben Neriah. Baruch was a scribe who authored the apocryphal Book of Baruch which was a canonical biblical book for the Roman Catholic church. He is also mentioned in Jewish and Christian religious lore. He has even been portrayed as a righteous sage that was actually granted a tour of heaven.
Baruch ben Neriah has in recent times shown up in archaeological finds. These finds also included Ebed-Melech, a black Ethiopian. The two are associated in rabbinic commentaries. Ebed-Melech rescued Jeremiah after he had been imprisoned by three ministers of King Zedekiah. (You can find that part in your Bible – Jeremiah 38: 1-13)
Clay Seal with Baruch ben Neriah's name on it
Unfortunately as I researched his last name all I could come across were some other ludicrous rumors leading to a reason to not vote for him. “It sounds like Osama.” Some people are geniuses, aren’t they? Sadly, some have brought into that argument, and the explanation of the name Hussein. My opinion is, these people should be shipped off somewhere and never be able to make an important decision ever again. There is obviously something just wrong in their heads. I know that might be a bit extreme, but it is no more ridiculous than some trying to pass off these lies as fact and reasoning to not vote for him.
The Holy Bible
If this post can change just one person’s thinking from believing these false ideas then I will be very happy.
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Comment by Morgan Bell
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you have outdone yourself this time Gene!
Comment by Two Guys Sports
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Thanks. It was actually fun and informative to write too. I think I will do a similar post for the rest of the candidates. Although with them all having somewhat plain names I may condense all of them into one post.
Gene
Comment by Harold J. Dollar, Jr.
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Glad to be of assistance. lol
Gene
Comment by Natalie 2
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It drives me crazy when people feel the need to include the full name to try and make a ridiculous point, or change someone's name all together (i.e. "Obiden")
Gene
Comment by Cleveland Kent Evans
You can find the etymological origin of Obama here:
Really Long Link
As you will see, it has nothing to do with "Osama" in terms of its origin.
But it wouldn't matter if it did, of course.
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Thanks for the extra info. Actually I think if it did have something to do with Osama it would lead to a landslide win by McCain, unfortunately. Which is why they tried using that angle early on. when they realized that wasn't going to work they latched on to his middle name Hussein. Luckily it seems enough Americans have seen through the lies.
Gene
Comment by alt_ed
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New from Ikea, the Hussein Sofa.
Great Post Gene- I've learnt like 20 new things in 2mins!
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lol It was rather interesting researching this one. I meant to do one for each candidate but got sidetracked again and again. Plus it isn't like people were having problems with the other names. The one angle I did think of to turn the Republicans against McCain however was (by the way, I am a TV fanatic and watch much more than most humans). . . His name is John Sidney McCain. Tony Randall's portrayed Sidney in "Love, Sidney". His character was gay. i am sure at least some of the Republicans that believe anything would have been flocking away from McCain in droves. Ralph Nader's votes would have climbed a bit, oh wait he is Lebanese. OK, they would have just gone out and shot themselves with their semi-automatic machine guns. (Which hopefully soon will be illegal again!)
Gene
Comment by alt_ed
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Don't be too optimistic, chances are they'll head out on a violent rampage first shooting at civilians left right and centre...
It's funny isn't it, that there are more guns per capita in Canada, yet they have one of the lowest fatality rates attributed to guns in the world (Lower than even Australia, and even here its less than 100 deaths a yr).