War of Word : DMV Recalls Plate Tarnished by Conflict in the Gulf

Last February, Dr. Kareem Jaffer bought his oldest son a 1979 BMW for his 16th birthday with personalized license plates bearing the teen-ager’s name.

But now the California Department of Motor Vehicles has called the plates “very offensive” and warned Jaffer to trade them in by Friday or face legal action.

Why? Jaffer named his son “Jihad.” Given the war in the Persian Gulf, the DMV says, the youth’s license plate, “4 JIHAD,” is in poor taste.

Jihad , an Arabic word taken from the Koran (Islam’s sacred book), has been widely translated to mean “holy war.” Iraq’s Saddam Hussein and late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini have used the word at various times to appeal to Muslims to arm themselves for a battle against American interests.

While many Muslim scholars criticize that translation and maintain that the true meaning of jihad is “to strive to become a better Muslim through peaceful means,” it is the highly publicized call for a holy war that has stuck in the minds of most Americans.

“In this time frame, it’s pretty obvious why the decision was made,” said DMV spokesman Bill Gengler in Sacramento, who said the DMV was notified about the plates by an unidentified motorist. “Because they in fact would be advertising that they are for a holy war against the U.S. and allied forces in the Gulf and that would be very offensive obviously to very many people.”

In a DMV letter dated Jan. 22, the Jaffers were advised that the plates were a problem and could be exchanged free at the nearest DMV office.

The letter stated that if the family did not “elect to voluntarily surrender the license plates by Feb. 22, 1991, the Department will be forced to commence legal proceedings to cancel the plates.”

Jaffer, a 12-year-resident of Hemet, southeast of Riverside, said he will appeal. He said he is outraged at what he considers the insensitive tone of a DMV letter that calls his son’s name “offensive to good taste and decency.”

“I would have understood if the DMV had said that in this day and age, people on the street may not understand that this is your son’s name and we recommend that you take those plates off,” Jaffer said. “But to come out and say that the configuration 4 JIHAD is very offensive?”

For many Arab-Americans, the DMV’s recall of the license plates is another troubling example of the kind of discrimination they have faced around the country since the outbreak of the Gulf War.

And the incident has been a painful awakening for Jihad, 16, who was born and raised in the United States and has never been to the Middle East. Since receiving the DMV letter, the soft-spoken high school junior has kept his black BMW covered up in the back yard out of fear for his safety.

Like most children growing up, Jihad never gave much thought to his name. It was merely the name that he was given at birth. But now that has changed.

“I thought, ‘What’s next? Are they going to tell me I can’t go by my name?’ ” Jihad asked. “If they say my name is an offense to good taste and decency, that means that I am an offense to good taste and decency. Maybe if it was worded better, I wouldn’t have taken it so hard.”

Gengler said that if Jaffer brings in a birth certificate proving that Jihad is really his son’s first name, the DMV will consider reissuing the plate.