Dubai: Muammar Al Gaddafi doesn’t like his name one bit now. So ashamed he is now that he wants to change it.
Al Gaddafi, a Sudanese man living in Khor Fakkan, has initiated legal procedures to change his name.
“I know the procedures won’t be easy. But the name feels more like a curse that I have to get rid of,” he said.
He said he wishes to change his name as a show of solidarity for the Libyan people who suffered violence under President Muammar Gaddafi during the uprising, according to Arabic daily Emarat Al Youm.
Al Gaddafi said that he was very disturbed by the footage shown on TV channels, describing them as horrifying.
“It started to bother people around me,” he said.
Al Gaddafi said that his father named him after the Libyan President a year later the Libyan revolution.
“He was a source of pride for all Arabs, especially since he was a staunch supporter of Arab and African unity,” he said.
“I’m sure if my father was still alive, he would also want me to change my name in light of the recent events in Libya. My family are also persisting that I should change it, and do not hesitate to describe Gaddafi as a war criminal who feigned democracy as he ruled by dictatorship.”
Al Gaddafi added that during his stay in Libya, where he went to study, Gaddafi’s son (Hannibal) was his classmate.
Al Gaddafi said that during a period when he studied in Libya, teachers would never punish him for misbehaving in class because he shared the president’s name.
