The late president of Uzbekistan may have died last year, but his name(s) lives on. Literally.
The day that would have marked Islam Karimov’s 79th birthday — January 30 — was marked by an outpouring of adulation, and some baby-naming to fit the theme.
In Andijan, a couple anticipated the event by giving their newborn triplets the names of Isolmjon, Karimjon and Abdugani — that last name being a reprise of the the late leader’s patronymic. The family received a visit from Andijan regional head Shukhrat Abdurahmanov, who bestowed them with gifts.
“We live in a peaceful and prosperous nation thanks to Islam Abduganievich Karimov. That is why we have decided to name the children in his honor,” the mother, Fatimahon. told Podrobno.uz news website.
Naming babies after Karimov was popular in Uzbekistan even before his death last year. There is no certain count of how many little Islams are running around the country, but anecdotal evidence suggests the number is high.
The tradition of giving multiple babies Karimov’s surname and patronymic seems to have been kicked off by Tashkent resident Gulshan Khaydarova in 2013. In September that year, Khaydarova gave birth to four boys, whom she called Karim, Islam and, less deferentially, Hasan and Husan. And in March 2015, a couple in the Karakalpakstan autonomous region gave their newborn triplet the full house, as it were. That gesture earned them three strollers and a milk cow from the local administration.
The eagerness to name children after the president (or now late president) is not perhaps as obviously patriotic as it might seem. While families greet the arrival of multiple babies at once with understandable joy, it also places a heavy burden on hard-up families. The naming stunt usually proves an effective stunt to attract attention and, more importantly, gifts and money from the authorities.
While most prefer to opt for traditional Uzbek names, there has also been a craze in some areas to take inspiration from movie stars and athletes. And so it is that some Uzbek families have in their midst such little children as Ronaldo, Messi, Maradona (footballers), Bruce Lee (iconic onscreen martial arts master), Esmeralda (character in a popular Mexican soap opera) and Zhumong (character in a Korean soap opera).
In Uzbekistan, parents receive a one-off bonus sum equivalent to two months of minimum pay from the government (around $45). Only the poorest households receive monthly benefits for their children until they reach 16 years of age. If anything, Uzbekistan’s policies are aimed at keeping birth rates low. Women are actively discouraged by medial practitioners to refrain from having any more than two children.
More controversially, it is said to be common practice in rural areas to sew up women’s uteruses, and not always with her approval. A BBC report in 2012 cited doctors in Uzbekistan as claiming the government was running a secret sterilization program to stop women from having too many children and contain the national birthrate.
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