Black Georgia Parents Denied The Right To Name Daughter Allah

Geez Louise, the South is at it again. This time, they refuse to let parents name their child. 

Bilal Walk and Elizabeth Handy gave birth to a baby girl just over two years ago. Not knowing what their daughter's full name would be, they held off on a birth certificate until recently. Their two year old daughter was to be named ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah, and she would take neither her mother's nor father's last name. 

At least, that was the plan. 

According to Georgia state law, a child must have the last name of either its mother or father. In ZalyKha's case, her last name would be "Allah." While many legal experts say that there is no wiggle room here, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has taken the case as a first amendment rights issue. 

Her parents have another child, one that has the last name Allah and received a Georgia birth certificate without any problem. Could the current political climate have anything to do with this?

Most definitely. The growing fear of Muslims and Islam has reached incredible, ridiculous heights, and the President and his cronies are cracking down on Muslim influence in the United States. There is no doubt in my mind that ZalyKha's lack of birth certificate is proof of just how far the government - state and federal - is willing to go. 

Regardless of how you look at it, ZalyKha is getting the raw end of this deal. Without a birth certificate, she is unable to enroll in school, receive medical care, or have a social security number. A birth certificate documents each person as, well, a person. Without one, ZalyKha is seen in the eyes of government and medical officials as just an undocumented body. 

Getting ZalyKha a birth certificate is incredibly necessary, and, for some reason, a huge issue. This child should receive the same benefits as any other, and having a birth certificate is the most basic of those rights. For her parents, they should have the right to chose the name of their child regardless of how strange it may seem. 

Georgia, just let it go.