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Most HR departments would fire that manager on the spot.
I'd double down and have everyone else use the nickname Mohammad. (And just say they are honoring Mohammad Ali.)
Or Mustafa - you like Lion King.
Omar - you like Omar Bradley.
Another option: ask the manager to change his name so customers don't associate the rest of you with "sh*t head."
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Joe Woodbury wrote: Most HR departments would fire that manager on the spot.
IMO, HR departments shouldn't be empowered to hire or fire anyone.
It's his manager that should kick his @rse six ways to the unemployment line.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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But isn't he called Mufasa?
Hassan
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Marc Clifton wrote: ...because it sounded "Islamic" and he doesn't want customers to "make associations", what would you do?
I think I'd be tempted to go with the nickname Bloweyup MacTerrorist
This space for rent
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It's all in the reason.
Several jobs ago I had a workmate from Hongkong with the name Barry. It wasn't his real name. They all tend to westernize their names to make it easier for us. No one asked him to change his name, AFAIK, but it's even in his passport.
Anyway, if I were your workmate I'd get in contact with either a lawyer or the union if there is one.
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Choose a nickname?
My manager knows me too well to allow for such freedoms 
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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Actually it comes down to "depends", for most of us it would be highly offensive however if you are in sales then you take every advantage you can get. And as much as most here may be outraged there is plenty of prejudice and bigotry out there.
If a name makes a prospective client uncomfortable then a nom de plume may well be in the sales mans best interest. In which case the sales manager is actually doing a good job.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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True 'dat. And the prospective client is a dick.
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I would call my law insurance in such a case.
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Just tell him you want to use the nickname "Hitler"
=========================================================
I'm an optoholic - my glass is always half full of vodka.
=========================================================
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I'd go for something outrageous or nerdy and force them to accept under threat of a LARGE court trial + youtube videos, letters to newspapers, blog, twitter and FB posts up until ending up straigth to the TV talk shows
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP. -- TNCaver
When I was six, there were no ones and zeroes - only zeroes. And not all of them worked. -- Ravi Bhavnani
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Strange, Marc Clifton doesn't sound that islamic to me. But if I were you, I'd change it to something like Masud Al-Cliftani... 
Anything that is unrelated to elephants is irrelephant
Anonymous
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The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they're genuine
Winston Churchill, 1944
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I'd just like a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
Me, all the time
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Marc Clifton wrote: ...because it sounded "Islamic" and he doesn't want customers to "make associations", what would you do?
People just love to pick on fights... You got a partial statment from a conversation and demonised a person.
I understand that in any situation like this there are a lot of truths:
- the "perpetrator"
- the "victim"
- the observers (Fire!!! Burn!!! Kill!!!)
- and finally... just finally the truth/reason.
Try not to assume everyone is trying to elephant you.
From the litle I've understood there's a concern not an order.
Paulo Gomes
Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like measuring aircraft building progress by weight.
—Bill Gates
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Rather than go straight for the lawyers, I would ask for a private meeting with the boss. Politely explain that what has been suggested could be viewed as discriminatory and not unacceptable in this day and age. Say that you are proud of your name and heritage and will not use a nickname, and leave it with him. See what happens - he will likely either quietly back down or will double down on the insult, in which case at that point consider bringing out the lawyers.
I would consider having HR (or some other person) present at the meeting, though that would raise the temperature a bit.
I appreciate this may be a quintessentially more English way of dealing with such issues...
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Actually, I consider your perspective to be a very LOGICAL way of dealing with the issue, but most of the responses show why lawyers are very wealthy in the USA. Americans are easily offended, and someone should pay for that offense even though the Constitution DOES NOT give anyone the right to not be offended (though it does give the offender the right of free speech).
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I'm offended by your over-generalization of Americans. My lawyer will be in contact soon.
If you think 'goto' is evil, try writing an Assembly program without JMP.
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Brilliant. If more people in our world had your temperament, it would surely be a better place. (Not to mention, we would undoubtedly have different presidential candidates!)
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My first thought was "what country"? I know a lot of yous guys are in the UK but it sure sounds like a US thing. Anyway, I'd pick a nickname like 'Muddy' for Mohemad or some such thing just to get in the mgr's face.
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I would SUGGEST the manager have to choose between 2 even MORE Islamic sounding names.
Or add a few new names TO THE name as a nick name.
But that's just me.
Now, if the name is hard to understand (like some of those in India, apparently),
I actually appreciate when they lie to me:
Hello, my name is JOHN, and I will be giving you excellent customer service today!
Where you located John? (I ask)...
Chee Cah Go!
What's the weather like?
(click click click)... Oh it is being beautiful outside. With lots of wind.
==
No offense intended here. I just love the attempt.
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Congratulate your fellow employee (the one with the "Islamic" sounding name) on winning the lawyer lottery, and ask him/her what they are going to buy first with the proceeds of their lawsuit.
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My first company tried doing that 20 years ago. I basically said no.
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Tell him to use the nickname "BomberMan" and explain it as his favorite video game. 
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In all the righteous indignation here maybe we've forgotten something; that many Americans are clearly prejudiced. There's a gap between how they should behave and how they do behave. Depending on the locale and the product, I can see a sales or marketing manager trying to deal with customers as they are, not as they ought to be.
That said, it would have to be a very careful and respectfully offered request, and there would have to be no consequence for declining to be nicknamed. If the manager was known to be a jerk, I'd probably freak out in ways that eventually involved lawyers.
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Did you mean to say, "asked you to use a nickname because YOUR NAME sounded 'Islamic'"? If so, yes, that would be discriminatory.
If you meant what you said and the manager asked you to use a nickname because [it] sounded "Islamic" (it being the nickname according to English grammar rules), that would be much more interesting. It would sound like the manager didn't want anyone to think they didn't hire Muslims, or that they hired any non-Muslims. Still discriminatory, though.
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I would tell the manager to rephrase the request to: "We're making a new policy which restricts the use of nicknames." that way the whole world is happier with the mess they created. because, believe me, if you want more rules just keep suing people over stuff like this and there will come a day when you'll be reading 1984 as a policy guide.
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