My wife can never call my name in public Imagine youre at a busy airport, somewhere in Europe or the US. In no time I was introducing myself to people and seeing this…reaction…Especially in the Midwest, when they heard my name was Jihad the first thing that appeared to their minds was the image of suicide bombers, and the jihadists that attack the army in Afghanistan or Iraq. Abdo, whose most popular TV show had an audience of 50 million, simply couldnt catch a break in Los Angeles. And as Shakespeare said 400 years ago, Whats in a name? I said - Change it. I love my name, but I also want to survive. I consider myself an open-minded guy, and my wife as well. I walked in and introduced myself to the staff, the kids… And I said, Hi, my name is Jihad, and before I could even say, …but you can call me Jay, theyre like, Oh Jihad, alright, cool! And I thought - Hey, if eight-year-old kids can say this name properly, then I should too.Nowadays, he says, its a great conversation-starter! Though their reasons differ, both Jihads agree they wouldnt give a child of their own the name. What about the scenario we started with - does he worry about that? Interestingly enough, if I lose my wife somewhere, she will never shout my name out loud. That applies everywhere. Theres a smile in Jehads voice again.