According to recent data, Muhammad will be the second most popular boy’s name in the Netherlands in 2022.
According to data released on Thursday by the Dutch Social Insurance Bank (SVB), Noah was the most popular name for newborn boys in the country last year, with 871 occurrences. With 677 occurrences, Emma was the most popular girl’s name.
When the various spellings of the name were combined, Muhammad ranked second among baby boy names with 671.
Given the controversy surrounding blasphemy and free speech in the Netherlands regarding depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, this is a significant development (PBUH).
Despite this, parents across the country are increasingly giving their children name Muhammad.
In 2018, the Netherlands became the centre of a blasphemy controversy after far-right politician Geert Wilders was cleared of charges of inciting hatred and discrimination for leading a chant calling for fewer Muslims in the country.