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| US parents sue to call baby girl Allah | US parents sue to call baby girl Allah |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A couple in the US state of Georgia who were banned from naming their daughter Allah are taking legal action. | A couple in the US state of Georgia who were banned from naming their daughter Allah are taking legal action. |
| The state Department of Public Health has refused to issue the 22-month-old with a birth certificate. | The state Department of Public Health has refused to issue the 22-month-old with a birth certificate. |
| Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk say it is unacceptable that their child has officially been left nameless. | Elizabeth Handy and Bilal Walk say it is unacceptable that their child has officially been left nameless. |
| But state officials say the child's surname - ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah - should either be Handy, Walk or a combination of the two. | But state officials say the child's surname - ZalyKha Graceful Lorraina Allah - should either be Handy, Walk or a combination of the two. |
| Allah is the Arabic word for God. | Allah is the Arabic word for God. |
| Surname Grabher 'too offensive' for number plate | Surname Grabher 'too offensive' for number plate |
| The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia has filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court on the family's behalf. | The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Georgia has filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court on the family's behalf. |
| The girl's father told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution they had called her Allah because it is "noble". | The girl's father told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution they had called her Allah because it is "noble". |
| "It is just plainly unfair and a violation of our rights," Mr Walk said of the state's refusal to acknowledge the name. | "It is just plainly unfair and a violation of our rights," Mr Walk said of the state's refusal to acknowledge the name. |
| However, lawyers for the Department of Public Health said Georgia code "requires that a baby's surname be either that of the father or the mother for purposes of the initial birth record". | |
| In a letter to the family, state officials wrote that ZalyKha's surname can be changed through a petition to superior court, but only after the birth record is recognised. | In a letter to the family, state officials wrote that ZalyKha's surname can be changed through a petition to superior court, but only after the birth record is recognised. |
| 'Government overreach' | 'Government overreach' |
| According to the lawsuit, the unmarried couple already have a young son called Masterful Mosirah Aly Allah. | According to the lawsuit, the unmarried couple already have a young son called Masterful Mosirah Aly Allah. |
| The ACLU says that without a birth certificate the parents cannot obtain a Social Security number for their daughter. | The ACLU says that without a birth certificate the parents cannot obtain a Social Security number for their daughter. |
| They fear the girl's identity and rights as a US citizen will be questioned. | They fear the girl's identity and rights as a US citizen will be questioned. |
| The ACLU said the state's refusal to grant the family's wishes was an unconstitutional example of government overreach. | The ACLU said the state's refusal to grant the family's wishes was an unconstitutional example of government overreach. |
| "The parents get to decide the name of the child," said Michael Baumrind, a lawyer for the family. "Not the state. It is an easy case." | "The parents get to decide the name of the child," said Michael Baumrind, a lawyer for the family. "Not the state. It is an easy case." |