Judgment of the District Court The Hague dated September 18, 2020

The petitioner was born in the former Soviet Union. He finds his current first name burdensome because these names are predominantly associated with the Islamic faith. The petitioner was originally a Muslim, but he stopped practicing the Islamic faith a few years ago and is no longer religious.

His name has a specific meaning in the Islamic faith. The petitioner encounters difficulties with individuals who practice the Islamic faith because, for example, they often greet him with the Islamic greeting. Additionally, the petitioner faces challenges with his current first name because it leads people to perceive him as of Arab descent, while he was actually born in the former Soviet Union. The petitioner has no connection to Arab culture and finds it problematic to be associated with it through his first name.

The petitioner also feels that he is frequently discriminated against due to his first name, as people assume he is of a particular origin. Therefore, the petitioner believes he is often discriminated against because of his name.

Finally, the petitioner wishes to change his first name because his mother was predominantly religious and gave him the specific first name for religious reasons. She has since passed away. The petitioner did not have a good relationship with his mother and wishes to change his first name partly for that reason.

The request was addressed in a hearing because the petitioner does not have a birth certificate suitable for registration. The birth certificate he possesses only mentions his original last name, which he later changed. However, he could not provide evidence of this change, and as a result, he would revert to his original last name. Ultimately, the petitioner was able to sufficiently demonstrate through statements from family members that his last name had been changed. The court granted the request, allowing the petitioner to keep his current last name.