A Berlin court has upheld rulings in favor of parents who sought to name their son Djehad, a variation on the Arabic "jihad," or holy war.
The superior court upheld two lower court rulings allowing the name on grounds that it is recognized for males in Arabic-speaking countries.
German authorities who register births had objected to the name, saying it could be harmful for the child given the associations with Islamic terrorism.
But the court said in a ruling Tuesday that the name's meaning is rooted in the requirement to spread the Muslim faith, although it has recently become linked — especially since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks — with radical Islam.
German law restricts parents from giving their children names that could be interpreted as harmful.