People say what is in a name. But the name can decide the future of a person, says this person who was rejected in over 40 interviews just because of his name.

Centuries ago when Shakespeare had asserted, “What’s in a name?” little did he know that a name was just enough to stir up a storm. Ask Taimur, Kareena Kapoor Khan’s newborn boy, for instance.

And now, it’s a marine engineer, who is giving Taimur company for being at the receiving end just because of his name and has been denied a job for about 40 times!

He an engineer from Jamshedpur who is still unemployed after many years of his graduation. As you might be wondering what may be the reason behind this, let us tell you that the reason is not the cut-throat competition.

In fact, the only reason companies are refusing to hire him is because his name is ‘Saddam Hussein’.

Around 25 years ago, an old man named his grandchild Saddam Hussain. Little did he know that his “inoffensive” name would unleash a series of unemployment issues for his grandchild.

Two years ago, Saddam Hussain graduated from Tamil Nadu’s Noorul Islam University. He was the topper of his batch.

But despite having a good report card, he couldn’t land a job because of his namesake: Saddam Hussain, the Iraqi dictator who was known for subjecting atrocities on his subjects.

Jamshedpur’s Saddam Husain was lamenting over his lack of job opportunities. “People are scared to hire me”, he said.

His job applications have been rejected over 40 times, including the bigwig MNCs. His batchmates have secured a job and Saddam is unemployed since 2014.

For initial six months, he couldn’t decipher the reason behind his “rejection”. When he inquired from the HR department, they told him the real reason.

This is what Saddam revealed:

“I THEN INQUIRED WITH THE HR DEPARTMENTS OF THE COMPANIES AND SOME OF THEM TOLD ME MY NAME WAS THE PROBLEM.”

A Delhi-based company explained the issue in detail:

“If the issue involves crossing the borders, then nothing can be done as border patrol and airport authorities are very process-driven and if there is a red flag, they will check out. If the person’s job involves frequent travel abroad, he might just keep getting stuck or the company has to pull him out of the sticky situation, making the hire cumbersome.”

Saddam even tried to change his name legally into Sajid and he procured the required documents for the same. But, his troubles seem to be never-ending because his school certificates bear his real name.

He approached the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for a name change, but they blatantly refused. Saddam, now Sajid, has reached out to the Jharkhand high court to convince CBSE to change his name. His next court hearing is on May 5.

“I am an innocent victim of somebody else’s crimes,” Saddam said as he remembers his grandfather.

Saddam is very fond of his grandfather, but he desperately feels that he is paying for his mistake. It remains to be seen what happens next in Sajid’s case, but let’s hope he gets a job real soon.

What’s your take on this? Let us know your views in the comments section below.