“I am an innocent victim of somebody else’s crimes,” he said. Numerous people in Iraq were also given the name Saddam Hussein in tribute to the fifth President of Iraq, who ruled from
1979 until he was deposed by the Allied coalition in 2003. He was executed by hanging in 2006 after being convicted of crimes against humanity. An Indian engineer has claimed he has been rejected from 40 jobs because he shares a name with the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Saddam Hussein (whose name is spelt slightly differently) has now gone to court to change his name to Sajid, but says he does not blame his grandfather for giving him the dictator's name 25 years ago.
Despite graduating from Tamil Nadu's Norrul Islam University, the marine engineer from Jamshedpur in Kharkhand has said shipping companies have turned him away because of his name.
"People are scared to hire me," he told The Hindustan Times. He said each of his former classmates who qualified as engineers in 2014 have found employment but his name was holding him back.
"I inquired with the HR departments of the companies and some of them told me my name was the problem," he said.
He said they told him having a crew member with that name arouses suspicion and could complicate encounters with immigration officials.
Even after changing his name, Mr Hussain has struggled to find employment.
Although his passport, voter ID and driver licence now carry his new name, prospective employers have asked for his educational certificates which are in his old name.
Good name is indeed so so much better than any other thing on earth. I hope this innocent intelligent engineer finds a good job that will match his qualifications.
Note: The Above Picture is not an illustration of Saddam Hussein. This is not how the graduate looks like in real life, and there is no official picture of him surfaced online yet!
Cover Image Credits: inparis
