Making sense of Arabic names is a daunting task. The distinctions between the Arabic and Roman alphabets make a suitable transliteration (conveying the sound of a word in one language with the alphabet of another) an inexact science at best. This is of special concern to intelligence and security professionals, researchers, journalists, and others where misidentifying an individual can cause problems. Owens OnLine, Inc., a provider of international background investigations, would like to offer the following list of transliterated Arabic names as part of the solution.

“New procedures were put into place to reduce the chance that foreign spies, and particularly Mossad, could obtain advance notice of our travels . . . the security man would switch my name two to three days before the flight but use phonetic and other variations on the Arabic to throw off the scent . . . The same techniques . . . were used to disguise the movements of Iraqi hit men and international terrorists like Abu Nidal in and out of Baghdad.” [1] 

Owens OnLine, Inc., a provider of international background investigations offers a free database of transliterated Arabic names as part of the solution to the problem.  Simply type in the Arabic name as you have it spelled, and we will provide you with other possible spellings in English.  Arabic versions will be available with each search soon.  These versions are based on the various ways Arabs would render their name in English, in addition to “academic” transliterations.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

• Arabic names are written as individual’s name, father’s name, grandfather’s name, with or without the tribal name. The use of tribal names is more prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Syria; less prevalent in Egypt. Official application forms may require the great grandfather’s name also. English speakers should ask Arab respondents for their names through grandfather and tribal name to avoid confusion.

• Arabs will normally provide their name through grandfather when asked, although they may shorten it by using either their grandfather’s name or tribal name to align with the "two-name" system in the West. This can result in three different versions of the same name, without going into spelling variations. When comparing two Arabic names with similar elements, we advise taking the name with the most elements as a guide, with the awareness that similar order, even with missing elements, is more important than number of elements.  For example,  Mustafa Abdul Hakim Assad Al-Dosari may be the same person as Mustaphah Assad, Mustafa Abdel Hakeem, Mustapha Al-Dosari, or Mustapha Abdul Hakim Asad. However, Mustapha Assad Abdul Hakim would be a distinct individual. 

• Transliteration may be affected by regional dialects. For example, Egyptian pronounces "j" as "g." North African Arabic is affected by French influence. For example, the standard transiteration of rashid is rendered rachid in Morocco.

• Arabic names that are first transliterated into another language before being transliterated into to English can be affected. For example, jadriya transliterated into German can be rendered dschadriya, since German uses "ja" for the sound "ya."

• Once an Arab male has a son, he is often referred to as “father of .. “ or “abu …” In Iraq .  This custom has evolved to an informal code, so that someone is matched to an “abu” name regardless of the actual name of his son.  A partial list of these names is provided at Iraqi nicknames (see Owens OnLine web site).  Iraqis wishing to confuse any occupying military forces may resort to these nicknames.

• Careful use of Arabic names and familial background by investigators may uncover someone operating under cover. Please call the above number for more information.