BILQEES
My name is Bilqees, that is the spelling on my birth certificate which was issued 11 days after my birth in the late 80s. According to Islamic history, it is the name of the Queen of Sheba. Blessed with different spelling variations, one of the first things my mother told me about my name was if an official document issued to you is not spelt - B-I-L-Q-E-E-S then that document doesn’t belong to you. Well, I almost got kicked out of primary school because the accountant spelt my name wrongly on the school fees payment receipt and I refused to collect it. Aunty Maggie, the accountant insisted on not writing me a new one, so I left her office. Some weeks later, I was not allowed on the school premises because I was not with the receipt. I tried to explain but I was sent home, I am not sure AbdulGaniu (my older brother) realized I was not allowed into the school premises. I went back home and my Grandma (May Allah grant her Al-janah Fridaous) followed me to school and said – “My daugh