Tajikistan Outlaws Last Names Ending In Letters OV

[otherlander]

Source: NYT

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, March 27 — Amid a series of idiosyncratic decrees aimed at removing traces of Soviet influence, the president of Tajikistan announced Tuesday that he had dropped the Slavic “ov” from the end of his surname and that, henceforth, the same must be done for all babies born to Tajik parents.


The president, Emomali Rakhmon — formerly Rakhmonov — also banned certain school holidays and traditions associated with the Soviet period, including a holiday known as ABC Book Day, when toddlers gather in a circle to read aloud. He also ordered all university students to leave cellphones and cars at home, saying they distracted from academic study.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/world/asia/28tajikistan.html

[XemaSab]

1. The dateline is Kazakhstan, but it's Tajikistan that has outlawed the -ov

Two different countries. :P

[otherlander]

2. D'oy.

:P

[htuttle]

3. Is this the guy that renamed bread after his mother?

Or is this our other 'ally' that boils people in oil?

[David in Canada]

4. Nope

Is this the guy that renamed bread after his mother?

No. That was Suparmurat Niyazov also referred to as "Turkmenbashi" or "Father of All Turkmen" in the Turkmen language. Niyazov was roughly the equivalent of a governor of the then-Turkmen SSR from 1985 when he was appointed by Gorbachev until Turkmenistan's independence in 1991. In 1991, Turkmenistan became independent and he served as President-for-Life until his death on December 21, 2006. He was succeeded by one of the few people he DIDN'T purge from office, the then-Health Minister Gurbanguly Burdymukhamedov who was elected with 88%+ of the vote in February. I apologize if I included some spelling errors in President Burdymukhamedov's name.

Or is this our other 'ally' that boils people in oil?

No, again. That would be Islam Karimov, President of Uzbekistan. He has served as President since 1991 and is currently unopposed for re-election later this year. He is reputed to be one of the world's most cruel leaders and is a reputed close friend of Donald Rumsfeld.

[htuttle]

5. Whoops -- I just can't seem to keep my Central Asian despots straight anymore

All I'm sure of is that they all either have oil or are convenient routes for oil and gas pipelines, and that they are all allies in our 'terror war', er...'war on terror'.

[krispos42]

6. But what if your last name is "Ov"? Then what? n/t

[SoCalDem]

7. Maybe Prince would loan him his symbol.. He's not using it anymore :) n/t

[treestar]

8. I wonder what Gorbach thinks of this.

Are they going to drink Smirn? What about -in names like Putin?

[martymar64]

9. What next, declare all ethnic Russians as outlaws

Watch this guy closely. Soon he'll set up "relocation" camps for all ethnic Russians, where they'll all go "up in smoke through the chimney".
Way to pick your friends, George.