Turkish Man Desperate to Drop ‘Dollar’ Surname Amid U.S. Row

Posted by African Examiner World News Thursday, August 30th, 2018

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – A Turkish on Thursday said he is desperate to drop the surname ‘dollar’ surname because he was being teased.

Ferhat Dolar, 48, from Dalaman in the Aegean province of Mugla, has asked the local civil registration office to replace his surname, explaining to the Milliyet daily: “Due to the recent economic sanctions imposed on our country by America, my surname has become an object of mockery.

“Therefore I decided to drop my surname.”

“Dolar” in Turkish means “dollar.”

“I cannot accept the U.S. stance against Turkey. I am disturbed by people making insulting comments regarding my surname,” Dolar was quoted by broadcaster CNNTurk as saying on Thursday.

The ongoing row between Turkey and the U.S., centred on the detention of a U.S. pastor, has hit Turkey’s lira, bonds and stock markets.

The lira has lost almost 40 per cent of its value since the beginning of the year.

“People would tell me ‘Dolar, you are flying today,’ ‘Dolar, you took a nose-dive today,’ ‘Hit Dolar on the head so it crashes,’” Dolar complained.

He has revealed what he hopes will be his new surname: Dalar, which has no specific meaning in Turkish. (/NAN)