Morsi', 'Mursi', 'Morsy'
You may have noticed the different
spellings used for the recently toppled Egyptian President's surname, adding
to the confusion. Here is a section from the Saudi
Gazette's item on his name, and I have resisted the temptation to comment
further on it
However, the spelling of the Egyptian head of state's last name varied, with the three most common versions being: "Morsi", "Mursi", and "Morsy". Of the 15 sampled news organizations, nine opted for "Morsi"; six for "Mursi"; and only one for "Morsy".Back to top
Google results for the three different spellings were: "Morsi" 17,400,000; "Mursi" 11,700,000 and "Morsy" 1,340,000.
Turning to the website of the official Egypt State Information Service was, unfortunately, of little help as an article at the top of its Home page on Thursday referred to "President Mohamed Morsi", while at the bottom of the same page a photo of the president was labeled "Dr. Mohammad Morsy President of Egypt"!
Clearly, there are far more pressing issues facing the new Egyptian head of state than to worry about how his name is spelled in English. And like Shakespeare's rose, which by any other name would smell as sweet, we realize that it will not in the least affect his ability to deal with the daunting tasks confronting him. So until Saudi Gazette hears to the contrary, we will refer to him as President Mohamed Morsi and take this opportunity to wish him all the best.