Folk hero and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has done a lot for his reputation as the wokest world leader since coming into office in 2015. A hallmark of Trudeau’s term and signifier of his humanitarian bona fides has been his 100% acceptance of Syrian refugees. Trudeau’s had such an effect on people’s lives that they’re naming their babies after the man.
A married couple, Afraa Hajj Hammoud and Mohammed Belal, announced the birth of their newborn son Justin-Trudeau Adam Bilal last week:
“My husband says ‘How about if we name the boy Justin-Trudeau, like him,'” Hammoud told CBC.
“I was a little bit shocked … when he says that, I smile a little bit, a small smile, then I says, ‘Yes, there is no problem, it will be like a small thank you for Justin Trudeau.'”
The family said that while choosing a non-Arabic name for their child was unusual, “They wanted to show their appreciation to the Prime Minister.”
This isn’t the first time a Syrian refugee family has shown their appreciation toward Trudeau in such a manner. In November, another refugee family announced that they had named their son Justin, even though it was a Western name, explaining that it was an Arab tradition to name a child after a “person with good character.”
At the time, Trudeau acknowledged the gesture calling it “very touching” and saying that the Canadian government was “proud … of fulfilling [its] commitment to welcoming over 33,000 Syrian refugees to Canada” and lauded the citizenry’s acceptance of the refugees.