In Jewish tradition a lot of power is associated with words – after all God used words to direct the creation of the universe.
In Arab tradition, when the first son is born parents are called “Mother/father of [insert name of son].” Whereas this title becomes an honorific, interchangeable with the father’s name, for the mother this title replaces her name. In other words, where the father retains his name and is sometimes, also called by his son’s name, the mother loses her name completely. She no longer has an identity of her own; she is only the mother of her son.
Try to imagine being nameless. Can you imagine shame being associated with your name? Can you imagine your own son refusing to say your name?
The first woman a man meets is his mother. It is the relationship with the mother that shapes all future relationships. What happens when the mother has no identity of her own aside from being the mother of her son?
This is from a UN campaign, take a look:
Give mom back her name #MyMothersNameIs