[Reader-list] Pakistani ambassador rejected because his name is NSFW in Arabic

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

Dear Kshmendra,

Thanks for posting this delightful item of information.

  It's such a pity that knowledge of classical languages like Arabic  
(or, for that matter, Sanskrit) is limited, or then again, maybe not.

The worthies at the Ministry of External Affairs must be thanking  
their stars that Sanskrit is not understood. Because this is what  
guarantees that the eventual or hypothetical deployment as envoy of  
any distinguished personage by the name of Mahalingam (which means  
exactly what Akbar Zeb means in Arabic) who might be currently   
employed by the GOI's MEA, would never be jeopardized.

warmly,

Shuddha


On 10-Feb-10, at 7:44 PM, Kshmendra Kaul wrote:

> "Pakistani ambassador rejected because his name is NSFW in Arabic"
>
> Posted By David Kenner  Wednesday, February 3, 2010
>
> Despite having served for years as a distinguished Pakistani  
> diplomat, Akbar Zeb reportedly cannot receive accreditation as  
> Pakistan's ambassador to Saudi Arabia. The reason, apparently, has  
> nothing to do with his credentials, and everything to do with his  
> name -- which, in Arabic, translates to "biggest dick":
>
> "In Saudi Arabia, size does count."
>
> According to this Arabic-language article in the Arab Times,  
> Pakistan had previously floated Zeb's name as ambassador to the  
> United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, only to have him rejected for the  
> same reason. One can only assume that submitting Zeb's name to a  
> number of Arabic-speaking countries is some unique form of  
> punishment designed by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry -- or the  
> result of a particularly egregio
> us cockup.
>
> http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/02/03/ 
> ambassador_at_very_large
>
>
> Jan-24-2010
> Tim King Salem-News.com
> "In Saudi Arabia, size does count."
>
> (SALEM, Ore.) - A high level Pakistani diplomat has been rejected  
> as Ambassador of Saudi Arabia because his name, Akbar Zeb, equates  
> to "Biggest Dick" in Arabic. Saudi officials, apparently  
> overwhelmed by the idea of the name, put their foot down and gave  
> the idea of his being posted there, the kibosh.
>
> Akbar Zeb is no newcomer to politics, in fact you could say he's a  
> pretty big deal. This long-ranging high level diplomat has worked  
> with some of the largest members of world governments, players  
> charged with negotiating the outcome of the world's current events.
>
> He most recently served as High Commissioner Designate of Pakistan  
> to Canada, and prior to that he was the ambassador of Pakistan to  
> South Africa,. He also served in that capacity in Washington from  
> 1983-87, and New Delhi from 1994-2000.
>
> He earlier worked at the Pakistan headquarters as section officer  
> from 1982- 83, director from 1987-94 and director-general from  
> 2000-2003.
>
> Miangul Akbar Zeb, also whose name news agencies sometimes refer to  
> as Zib, was born on 15 February, 1954. He holds a Masters degree.
> http://salem-news.com/articles/january242010/big_dick.php
>
>
>
>
>
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Shuddhabrata Sengupta
The Sarai Programme at CSDS
Raqs Media Collective
shuddha at sarai.net
www.sarai.net
www.raqsmediacollective.net