What’s in a name?

At this time of tension, we need proud Arab personalities in the American film industry

Jihad or Jay Abdo. Photo by Fadia Afashe

Jihad Abdo’s story is an uplifting one. Displaced from his native Syria in 2011, he arrived in the United States only to work a series of odd jobs. Now the 54-year-old actor has featured in several Hollywood productions. As a famous actor in Syria before the civil war broke out in 2011, Abdo fled to America over fears that his perspectives on Bashar Al Assad’s government would land him in trouble.

Making it in Hollywood hasn’t come without a price though. Jihad has changed his name to Jay, presumably out of fear that such a name would provoke unnecessary upset from American views. The film industry has a history of forcing actors to change their names for reasons ranging from outright racism to simple semantics. At this moment in the American history, however, a proud Arab actor with a compelling back story and a strong name shouldn’t be afraid to embrace his identity. It is sad that the current critical climate in the US forces Jihad to become Jay.