Saudi Arabia bars father from naming daughter after Ivanka Trump

Saudi Arabia has forbidden a man from naming his daughter Ivanka, after one of the daughters of US President Donald Tump, according to reports. Salem Al Anzi told local media the civil status department made the decision as the name was foreign.

"I pleaded with them to accept the name, but they said that the law did not permit it," Anzi was quoted by the Gulf News as saying.

Names are state regulated in the Saudi kingdom. In 2014, the Interior Ministry banned some baby names that contradict the culture or religion of the kingdom, or are foreign or deemed as inappropriate.

The ministry banned at least 50 names and justified the decision by saying that the names offend perceived religious sensibilities, are affiliated to royalty and some are of non-Arabic or non-Islamic origin.

Arab News reported that several women had criticised Anzi on social media, with some claiming that his perceived admiration for Ivanka Trump was an insult towards his wife.

However, Anzi said his choice had nothing to do with Trump's daughter and said he will still use Ivanka as a nickname for his daughter.

"Even though my daughter will not be formally named Ivanka, I will continue to call her Ivanka within the family because I do not see any problem with the name," he said. "I opted for the name because I liked it. My choice has nothing to do with Donald Trump's daughter."

It is believed the baby, who is now with her maternal grandmother in Arar, would be named Luma, meaning in Arabic "female with beautiful lips."