Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry has announced a ban on 50 names which it says contradict the culture or religion of the kingdom.

Local media reports echoed by the Western press say parents in the kingdom can no longer give their children names such as Linda, Alice, Elaine or Binyamin (Arabic for Benjamin) after the civil affairs department at the ministry issued a list of the prohibited names.

Binyamin is believed in Islam to be the son of Prophet Jacob, but is also the name of the current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Some names on the list are allegedly banned by the interior ministry because they are considered “blasphemous,” non-Arabic or non-Islamic, or contradictory to the kingdom’s culture or religion, Gulf News has reported.

The ban was also allegedly justified by the ministry because some of the names were deemed foreign or “inappropriate”.

Other sets of forbidden names include those with royal connotations, such as Sumuw (highness), Malek (king) and Malika (queen).

Below is the full list of forbidden names as reported in Gulf News:

Malaak (angel)

Abdul Aati

Abdul Naser

Abdul Musleh

Binyamin (Arabic for Benjamin)

Naris

Yara

Sitav

Loland

Tilaj

Barrah

Abdul Nabi

Abdul Rasool

Sumuw (highness)

Al Mamlaka (the kingdom)

Malika (queen)

Mamlaka (kingdom)

Tabarak (blessed)

Nardeen

Sandy

Rama (Hindu god)

Maline

Elaine

Inar

Maliktina

Maya

Linda

Randa

Basmala (utterance of the name of God)

Jibreel (angel Gabriel)

Abdul Mu’een

Abrar

Iman

Bayan

Baseel

Wireelam

Nabi (prophet)

Nabiyya (female prophet)

Amir (prince)

Taline

Aram

Nareej

Rital

Alice

Lareen

Kibrial

Lauren

•Photo shows Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Update news