Saudi national names his daughter 'al-Saudia' amid kingdom's rift with Qatar

The father, Ahmed al-Anizi, posted his video on Twitter, posing with his newborn baby wrapped in Saudi Arabia’s flag

The stand-off between Saudi Arabia and Qatar has taken an unusual turn with citizens naming their children after the country they support in times of a growing rift between the two countries.

In a latest expression of patriotism, a Saudi father named his daughter ‘al-Saudia’ days after a Kuwaiti national said he would name his daughter ‘Qatar’.

The Saudi father, Ahmed al-Anizi, posted his video on his Twitter account, posing with his newborn baby wrapped in Saudi Arabia’s flag and said: "In response to the Kuwaiti citizen who named his daughter Qatar, I am a Saudi citizen and I am naming the first baby that God has blessed me with al-Saudia."



After this post went viral, the hashtag  #Saudi_names_his_daughter_Saudia started trending and has been tweeted over 65,000 times since then.



The naming of children after the countries have received mixed responses with many being proud of such patriotism while others see it as useless nationalism.

"Today I feel proud of the awareness of this nation's youth of the dangers of our enemies, who work day and night to shatter our unity," said one Arab man on Twitter.



However, another argued: "No matter how patriotic you are, it shouldn't reach the point of calling your daughter a name that might cause her issues when she grows up. Call her a nice name and express your patriotism some other way."

In the beginning of June, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed their ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, in an unprecedented breach between the most powerful members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The coordinated move dramatically escalates a dispute over Qatar’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the world’s oldest movement, and adds accusations that Doha even backs the agenda of regional arch-rival Iran.

The three Gulf states announced the closure of transport ties with Qatar and gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries. Qatar was also expelled from a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

 

The article originally appeared on BBC.