German Court Lets Boy Be Named "Jihad"

September 2, 2009 3:19 p.m. EST

Berlin, Germany (AHN) - A German court has ruled that a suspected terrorist can name his son Djehad, the German word for jihad or holy war.

The upper regional court in Berlin upheld Tuesday the rulings of two lower courts allowing Egyptian-German Reda Seyam, 49, to name his four-year-old son Djehad on grounds that it is a common Arabic name for males.

Germany's birth registration agency, which implements the country's strict naming law, contested the name in court arguing that the father intended it to be interpreted literally and could harmful to the child, who would be associated with terrorism. It's position was supported by the German intelligence agency's suspicion that Seyam was a mastermind in the bombing of resorts in Bali, Indonesia in 2002 that killed 200 tourists.

Public prosecutors in Munich have also accused Seyam of encouraging young Germans to convert to Islam and join a holy war.