I came across a comprehensive report from Justice Canada about the gentleman who was appointed as Canada’s Human Rights Commissioner but resigned just a day before taking office due to the controversy surrounding his nomination. Please click on this link to access the full report.
The report is lengthy and detailed, but what caught my attention was his name. He was known as Birju Rajnikant Dattani before converting to Islam, at which point he adopted the name Mujahid Dattani.
Interestingly, it appears that he used both names interchangeably, depending on the audience. When addressing Muslim groups, he opted for Mujahid, an Arabic name, while in other contexts, he used Birju.
The Justice Canada report includes Mr. Dattani’s comments regarding his two names:
Quote:
Mr. Dattani explained that “Mujahid” was recommended to him by three Muslim scholars from India who were visiting Calgary for a spiritual event. They were asked to suggest a name, and they unanimously chose “Mujahid” for two reasons: it closely resembles his given name, and it reflects certain personal attributes. He noted that the translation of Mujahid is “someone who strives against the ego in the service of God,” while Birju translates to “someone who possesses and embraces an inner strength.”
Mr. Dattani also mentioned that “Birju” is a difficult name for some to pronounce, making it easier for him to use Mujahid in Arabic-speaking contexts. He shared that, as a racialized person, he often faces questions about his names, such as, “Is it mystical?” or “What does it mean?” He admitted that these inquiries can be frustrating and added, regarding the open letter, “There was no specific reason for why I put my name that way; sometimes it is just whimsical.”
Unquote
I find this explanation somewhat perplexing. I researched the meaning of Mujahid and discovered the following:
Coming from the Hindi heartland, I never paid much attention to the name Birju, which is quite common. I have some reservations about Hindi translations from Google as they are still evolving. However, I did a Google search and found that Birju means “a good singer.”
Nonetheless, I was surprised that Mr. Dattani, after his conversion, not only dropped his father’s name (which may be a necessity after converting to another religion) but also found a meaning for the word Birju, which he described as “someone who possesses and embraces an inner strength.”
I laughed out loud while reading his assertion “Birju” is a difficult name for some to pronounce, making it easier for him to use Mujahid in Arabic-speaking contexts.”
Given below are some links to new’s Irene on this topic.
Former Yukon human rights director resigns from national role amid controversy
