Salem Amer Salem Al-Ayashi Al-Anzi, a Saudi Arabian man who caused quite the stir on social media last week after deciding to name his newborn daughter Ivanka, has been banned from registering the name, Gulf News reported.
Even though many had warned Al-Anzi that the name would not be approved by the kingdom's General Administration of Civil Status, he went ahead with his decision and submitted his daughter's paperwork for approval. He has since received a rejection.
“The civil status department informed me that the name could not be approved because it was foreign. I pleaded with them to accept the name, but they said that the law did not permit it,” Al-Anzi, told Saudi daily, Okaz.
"I opted for the name because I liked it. My choice has nothing to do with [U.S. president] Donald Trump’s daughter," he added.
In a television interview with Al Arabiya, Al-Anzi goes on to explain that he chose the name after he accepted a bet.
But it turns out there's more to the story, because in yet another interview with Huffpost Arabi, Al-Anzi reveals that he also chose the controversial name to bring attention to his elder daughter's illness, as he has been unable to get her proper treatment due to financial hardship.
More to the story
Speaking to Huffpost Arabi Al-Anzi explains that he knocked on every door, asking for help for his daughter, Rahma, who suffers from a disability and even tried to contact Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal for help, but to no avail.
He now hopes that the attention he has received over naming his daughter Ivanka will lead someone to offer their help in Rahma's case.
Even though he continues to face backlash for choosing the name Ivanka, he sees no problem with it, and says that though his daughter is now formally registered as Lama, he will continue to call her Ivanka within the family.