You say ‘Osama,’ I say ‘Usama,’ but it could be ‘Usamah,’ too

By Todd C. Frankel

Herald Writer

The FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists List is topped by the name Usama bin Laden. But it’s mostly Osama bin Laden in the pages of newspapers and on television.

Which one is right?

"Both are correct," says Jere Bacharach, a University of Washington professor of Middle East history, "as long as you’re consistent."

If only we were consistent. Osama bin Laden may have emerged as public enemy No. 1, the suspected terrorist mastermind President Bush wants "dead or alive," but a consensus on how to spell his name has yet to be found.

There are variations on his last name, too: bin Laden, bin Ladin, bin Muhammad bin Laden.

Bin Laden is not the only one. The variety of spellings for Arabic-sounding names has turned into a major obstacle for investigators as they trace the steps of the alleged hijackers and track others wanted for questioning in connection with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Long lists of mostly Arabic names being forwarded to thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country feature equal part names and aliases. Following the terrorists’ money trail is more difficult because banks must check several spellings of the same name. One of the suspected hijackers, Wakeed M. Alshehri, is listed by the FBI with seven alternate spellings alone.

Why is this so hard?

"Great question," says Bacharach. "Most people are embarrassed to ask it."

There are vast differences between English and Arabic, a Semitic language (like Hebrew) with a 28-letter alphabet made up almost entirely of constants. Vowels are understood from context or use.

Because of that, Bacharach says, when Arabic is transliterated into English, "u" is often interchanged with "o," "i" with "e," and "q" with "k." "A" stays the same.

That’s why the Muslim holy book can be spelled Koran, Quran or Qur’an.

Most linguists agree the best transliterating approach is to rely on the phonetic spelling of names, says Bacharach, director of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.

So, "u" is considered closer than "o" to the Arabic sound, as in the name "Usama," he says. And "e" is generally a better choice than "i."

Even spelling bin Laden’s first name as Usamah is permissible, although not agreed upon.

"The use of the ‘h’ is a transliteration issue," Bacharach says.

While Usama might be closer to the Arabic sound, it appears that Osama is the pronunciation of choice, with military and political leaders and reporters both foreign and domestic going with "Oh-sama." The spelling Usama is used almost exclusively in the halls of government.

Variations on names also have been a problem for other foreign leaders who have found themselves on the wrong side of American missiles and bombs. The name of Libya’s leader, Moammar Gadhafi, has been spelled Khadafy, Khadafi or Ghadafi. Saddam Hussein did not suffer misspellings, but he did hear a range of pronunciations, most famously from former President Bush, who took to calling him what sounded like "sa-Damn."

The name of bin Laden’s network causes problems, too. Al-Qaida is Arabic for "The Base." A strict transliteration would result in al-Qu’ida, Bacharach says, because the apostrophe is a letter in Arabic. Another way to spell it would be al-Qaeda.

The confusion even caused one newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel in Florida, to recently publish a notice announcing that a spelling standard had been adopted for the names of the suspected hijackers. The paper resolved to stop dropping the "al" on some of the last names. The prefix, meaning "the," is common in Arabic names.

Bacharach says the dispute over names is not a frivolous issue. The concept of last names being passed down through families is a Western one. The Arab world takes a medieval approach of naming people after their immediate family. Osama bin Laden means literally "Osama, son of Laden." But even that is shortened from his real name, Osama bin Muhammad bin Laden, because he is the son of his father, Muhammad.

In the Arab world, Western-style last names are new. And as the current conflict bears out, there is dramatic tension between the Western and Arab worlds.

"Naming is a powerful thing," Bacharach says. "It’s a culturally loaded thing."

You can call Herald Writer Todd C. Frankel at 425-339-3429

or send e-mail to frankel@heraldnet.com.