The King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) was inaugurated on 23 September 2009 which was also coincidentally Saudi Arabia’s National Day. This was a historical day for Saudi Arabia and for King Abdullah as KAUST was one of his visions towards educational reform in Saudi Arabia. KAUST is an international, graduate-level research university that provides state-of-the art learning facilities for students and professors from around the world. All of Kaust’s students are pursuing either a masters or a PhD. The inaugural class is comprised of 374 students who come from Saudi (15 per cent), China (14 per cent) and Mexico (8 per cent) as well as other countries. Another way which makes KAUST stand out among other Universities in Saudi Arabia is that it has opened as a true coed University where men and women are not segregated. Those in Saudi Arabia who are eager to see educational reform and additional rights and opportunities for Saudi women view KAUST as a beacon of hope and further changes to come.
To further illustrate the influence of KAUST and how it is associated with hope, a Saudi couple from Riyadh chose to name their newborn daughter ‘Kaust’ after the University. the only problem the couple encountered by their choice of name was the task of transliterating the name “Kaust” into Arabic. The civil affairs authorities did manage to figure out how to write this unusual name for the registry.
Now what happens if as this child grows older and she does not like the name of Kaust. Can she change her name? The answer is yes she can. She may change her first name only to another acceptable Islamic name. The name of course would have to be registered with authorities for its legal recognition and use. Because families in Saudi Arabia are traced by the father’s name, the family name cannot be changed. Although it is common in many other places of the world for a woman to take her husband’s family name upon marriage, this is not done in Saudi Arabia (and other Arab countries). For example if a woman’s father is named Khalid Saleem Obaid the daughter would be (first name) Khalid Obaid which indicates she is the daughter of Khalid Obaid.
In closing this post, what are your views on the action of the parents to choose to name their daughter Kaust? Do you think that was a wise decision? Why or why not? Do you think a girl with the name of Kaust will have many problems as she grows older? Would her name be a detraction and against her when she is old enough to receive marriage proposals?
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How did the ministry spell her name in Arabic? The family is already quite liberal, if they were willing to name their daughter that. I suspect that she’d marry into another liberal family, whether she were named Nora or Kaust. However, how much she’s tormented in elementary school will likely depend on how well the university does. If it’s closed for lack of interest or scandal in the next five years, I suspect she’ll change her name at some point!
I expect there will be more Kausts born if the university proves popular among the locals.
@H – that is a very good question on how the ministry spelled her name in Arabic. I know how I would likely spell it but none of the articles I read included the ministry spelling.
By the time she will get married, Saudi Arabia will change a lot and will accept her name – hopefully/god willing!
Eventhough KAUST has only 15 percent Saudi students, I guess more Saudi students will enrol in coming times and this will gradually change the Saudi society in the next 25 yrs, so no problem for her. Considering the exclusive nature of KAUST, it may be perceived as an elite-class institution by the Saudi society and therefore will have a prestige value, rather than a negative connotation.
Considering how hard it is to accept change in Saudi…I imagine she will encounter a few raised eyebrows and tongue clucks over the years…but “change come slowly” in the Arab world..so by the time she grows it might be acceptable.
On the other hand…parents that label their kids unusual names, hard to spell names, and culturally unfamiliar names are not doing their child any favors…children can be cruel…as well as adults.
Look at the Saudi scenario 25 years from now – We’re moving fast towards a world without the Gulf oil. In 20 years or so the Saudi oil will finish. This will affect the Saudi economy – in 25 years, Saudi Arabia may not have the wealth it has now. It will no longer be in a situation to negotiate terms with the world and will be under tremendous pressure from the West to become globalised – as also will be the rest of West Asia without its oil. Add to that the impact of a university like KAUST. This girl Kaust will marry in a society greatly inclined towards the West. I won’t be surprised if she won’t have an arranged marriage at all and not with a Saudi man – and will be accepted by the society.
Salam
The similar name I can think is Kauthar. As in surah Al-Kauthar.
I too am intrigues by how they spelled Kaust. I know a Saudi/Expat couple who had a child. Like many such couples they wanted her name to be something that is recognizable both in Arabic and English. They settled on the name Joanna which, spelled in a certain way in Arabic, could mean “jewel box”. It took a dictionary check at the ministry, but it went through.
I have to say I’m quite astonished on how readily the usually conservative Saudi society took up the foreign sounding, English acronym, Kaust as the accepted nick name for the university. Now I’m quite eager to see if they’ll take up KAEC (pronounced fondly as “cake” by its founders!) as the accepted nick name from the King Abdullah Economic City.
I agree with coolred about parent’s getting carried away by the moment and naming their kids something which the kid might later on live to hate. I have seen this phenomenon in certain states in India wherein parents in their endeavour to be different end up with ‘ridiculous’ names for their kids.
The popular name phenomenon… supposedly a lot of sons born in Kuwait in 1992 – 1993 were named George Bush. I suppose that their junior high years were particularly stressful!
Didn’t I read somewhere that baby names have to get approval from Saudi ‘authorities’?
I’m sure there will always be parents that will name thier children strange names. I think the oddest one I ever heard of was Peekaboo (Peekaboo Street, the Olympic skier)
If the name is not a known islamic name then yes, approval must be received.
So why would Kaust be an approved name?
Sorry, it may be a wonderful uni, but not for a little girl’s name; liberal or not. Maybe they’ll call her ‘K’ for short. There’s always hope for that.
@Lynn – as explained in the article she was named Kaust as the parents were very excited and in support of the new University which they see as a symbol of hope and change.
Nice for the parents, not so nice for the child.
Besides I think ”Kaust” sounds neither pretty nor feminine.
She’d better grow up to become a brilliant scientist with that name!
I understand that the parents were excited about the name. That wasn’t my question, my question was why did the ‘powers that be’ allow the name since, as you said, ‘If the name is not a known islamic name then yes, approval must be received’.
@Lynn – As I understand it is a Saudi institution and the “powers that be” apparently found a spelling that is Islamic and conformable. Does make you wonder if on the other hand if the “powers that be” were totally against KAUST if they would have been as accommodating?
Yea…okay…what-everrrrrrrrrrr….incredible
The name sounds like a German word “Faust” anyone? As in “Panzerfaust”?
Anyway, having laws and rules concerning names isnt unusual, they have them in most places, although some are more strict than others.
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article5987794.ab
OMG! Token?! And they think it’s better when said in English? I bet they got his name from watching South Park! LOL Not a good name for a dark skinned boy. I’d take Kaust over that!
Carol, that’s so funny that they found a spelling that is Islamic LOL Sounds like Ok, you can be named Lynn but we will write it this way : C.A.R.O.L. I guess I don’t understand. LOL
initially my own husband asked me after arriving in Saudi Arabia if I would consider an Islamic name to be known by. I could not do it and explained to him that I know my mother and father took a lot of care and love in selecting my name. I felt that to even consider taking another name would be a dishonor to them. Thankfully he understood and appreciated what I was feeling.