Hi Everyone,

I take  Habib's point about Muslim women not changing their surnames after
marriage, although some, probably under the influence of other cultures, do.
  I was not thinking about religion when I posted the article - I just found
it a bit funny.But this is not to suggest that the subject is not important.
I have been for quite a while interested in it myself, and that may explain
my feeling. I know, however, that there are many Muslims in The Gambia who
are identified by their mothers, instead of fathers. That is why we have
such names as Modou Kumba,Katim Lolly, Ebou Sohna and so on. This way of
naming people my not conform with practices that obtain in the Gulf states
or elsewhere in the Muslim world, but these people are still Muslims. Here
again we need to distinguish between what is Islam and what is Gambian /
African culture. Let us remember that many societies in African were
actually matrilineal before the advent of Christianity and Islam, and
elements of this past can still be found in the way we do certain things.
Cheers.

Momodou


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