Mothers in Egypt are reclaiming their names this week after an advertising campaign by the United Nations Women went viral. In a video published on March 20, just in time for Mother’s Day in the Middle East, men around Egypt were challenged on a social norm to withhold their mother’s names.

This reform is necessary and may sound foreign to most Americans, but the practice of a woman losing her name has similarities to our own culture.

In the video, when asked what their mothers’ names are, the Egyptian men ask why that information is necessary and respond, “I can’t.” This cultural taboo of not uttering a woman’s name comes from the worry that once someone knows a mother’s name they can use the name to shame an individual.

Women’s names in Egypt are meant to be highly regarded and not speaking her name is a form of respect. However, it is assuming that a woman’s name will be slandered as soon as it is spoken. Protecting a woman’s name by not uttering it is a faulty solution, and only covers up a bigger issue.

A woman’s name is not synonymous with disgrace, yet the silence of these names shows just how deeply sexism can be infused in a culture.

Calling a man by his mother’s name in Egypt is considered an insult and the mother is often referred to as “the mother of her eldest son” or her husband’s name if she doesn’t have a child, according to UN Women.

This taboo may be unfamiliar to many Americans, but for men in Egypt and much of the Middle East, this is as common of a social norm as giving up your seat for an elderly person.

Losing a name can be similar to losing one’s identity, and begins the slow process to dehumanization. The first step of dehumanization is ignoring someone’s individuality, and stripping a name does just that.

In America, some may draw the comparison to the custom of a woman taking a man’s last name.

When a woman takes a man’s last name it is often to symbolize a union of two individuals, but many make the argument that it shows submission to a man and continues the never-ending cycle of inequality. Both sides have validity, and show how regardless of culture, women are conflicted with the name game.

In the UN Women video, “Give Mom Back Her Name,” an older Egyptian man explains, “If someone knew our mother’s name, we used to sob when we were kids.” Another man said, “If I reveal my mother’s name, then someone might call me by it just to embarrass me and bring me shame.” The UN Women wants to challenge this idea by encouraging men in Egypt to change their profile pictures to their mothers’ name and tweet with the hashtag #MyMothersNameIs.

These effortless steps will fuel conversation for gender equality in a region that has many hurdles for women. The initiative may not be sweeping, but it is a way for individuals to participate and converse. And this could be an opportunity to take a second look at our own traditions that are considered societal norms.

Our names are how we are distinguished from another person in a room, how we introduce ourselves to the outside world. Women, no matter where, should be allotted this right to a name and proudly say it.

Julia Smith is a junior newspaper and online journalism and sociology dual major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at jcsmit11@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @jcsmith711.

Published on March 29, 2015 at 11:30 pm