THE GULF WAR: The International Front : Saddam: What’s in a Name?

Like Madonna and Cher, Saddam Hussein prefers to be known by one name--his first. According to the Detroit News, part of the preference probably stems from the fact that Saddam is more distinctive than Hussein. “A lot of people (in the Arab world) are called Hussein,” says Juan Cole, a Mideast professor at the University of Michigan. Also, says Ron Stockton of the University of Michigan at Dearborn: “It’s a custom in the Middle East that you often get called by your first name. It’s just common usage.” The name SADDAM MEANS “SOMEONE WHO CONFRONTS.” And Hussein was the first name of his father. Actually, Saddam’s full name is Saddam Hussein Tikriti, after his clan.