LUCKNOW: Mainaz Begum, an ardent Modi supporter, had the courage to transcend socio-religious barriers and name her newborn after Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his massive election victory.
But following immense pressure from her family, she has been forced to change the name of her child from Narendra Damodardas Modi to Mohammad Altaf Alam Modi. However, she refused to drop 'Modi' from the name.
Mainaz, 40, of Prasapur Mahraur village in Wazirganj area of Gonda district in eastern UP, gave birth to a baby boy on May 23, the day of the poll results which saw Modi win by a landslide.
Initially, Mainaz's father-in-law Idris objected to her idea of naming her son after Modi. But Mainaz stuck to her stand. The matter then reached her husband Mushtaq Ahmad who works in Dubai. He too tried to convince her to drop the idea but bowed to her wishes and allowed her to go ahead with her decision.
The child was finally named Narendra Damodardas Modi and Mainaz produced an affidavit to that effect to the district authorities. However, after a few hours of naming her son, she added the prefix 'Mohammad' to the name of the child calling him Mohammad Narendra Damodardas Modi.
Now, after a week, a number of videos are doing the rounds on social media showing Mainaz complaining against her family and villagers accusing them of intimidating her for naming her son after Modi. Talking to local media persons, Mainaz claimed that not only her relatives but other villagers were also trying to scare her saying her son would be taken away by Hindus and converted.
"They say that even the Islamic rituals and ceremonies will not be done to my son. But I firmly believe that my baby will always remain a Muslim. Modiji doesn't discriminate," she told media persons. Mainaz expressed faith in the PM saying, "I consider him as my brother. Do I have the right to attach my brother's name to my son's name?" she asked.
Though Mainaz also expressed fears of getting ostracized by the community, she refused to change the name completely and decided to retain 'Modi' in the name.