He came up to me and said, “What’s your name?”I promptly replied, “I don’t talk to strangers.”But then my mum approached us. It felt safe, so I said, “My name is Bilal.”The man said, “That’s a very strong name. Of Ethiopian descent, Bilal ibn Rabah was born a slave in Mecca in 580 AD. That’s not how you pronounce it.” I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t pronounce a name like Bilal. If you’re called David or Ben in this country you don’t have the burden of constant explanation.

Source: Ethiopian News September 02, 2018 23:48 UTC