Muslim Surnames
Jun. 29th, 2007 10:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poliphiloOur neighbour from two doors down- the one who gave us the planter- is known to us as Mrs Bibi. There are lots of Mrs Bibis in this part of the world.
Bibi is an honorific not a surname. Benazir Bibi means something like Miss Benazir.
So for a person to be called Mrs Bibi is a nonsense. Somewhere back down the line an uncomprehending official made a silly mistake.
Why does our neighbour stand for it? I've been researching Muslim surnames all morning and getting more and more confused. There seem to be no fixed conventions. If I understand my sources correctly, the purest tradition- the one that goes back to the prophet- is for everyone- male and female- to have a personal name followed by the name of his or her father. It's a system of labelling that guards against inadvertent incest- and very sensible too. Ahmed's son is called Muktar Ahmed and Muktar's son is called Hanif Muktar and so on. But in reality things are far more complicated- and practice varies from place to place and clan to clan. One thing that emerges fairly clearly is that the surname as westerners understand it- a badge of identity, honour and pride that passes down the family from generation to generation- just doesn't exist in Islamic cultures.
And I suppose that's why my neighbour isn't bothered. You want two names to put on your form? Here they are- Benazir Bibi. And if you choose to interpret the second as a surname who cares?
Bibi is an honorific not a surname. Benazir Bibi means something like Miss Benazir.
So for a person to be called Mrs Bibi is a nonsense. Somewhere back down the line an uncomprehending official made a silly mistake.
Why does our neighbour stand for it? I've been researching Muslim surnames all morning and getting more and more confused. There seem to be no fixed conventions. If I understand my sources correctly, the purest tradition- the one that goes back to the prophet- is for everyone- male and female- to have a personal name followed by the name of his or her father. It's a system of labelling that guards against inadvertent incest- and very sensible too. Ahmed's son is called Muktar Ahmed and Muktar's son is called Hanif Muktar and so on. But in reality things are far more complicated- and practice varies from place to place and clan to clan. One thing that emerges fairly clearly is that the surname as westerners understand it- a badge of identity, honour and pride that passes down the family from generation to generation- just doesn't exist in Islamic cultures.
And I suppose that's why my neighbour isn't bothered. You want two names to put on your form? Here they are- Benazir Bibi. And if you choose to interpret the second as a surname who cares?
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Re: Nordic surnames.
Date: 2007-06-30 10:58 am (UTC)I've always wondered how we got stuck with our fixed surnames. I suppose it had something to do with the rise of bureaucracy and the keeping of written records.
It would be nice to have the freedom to choose one's own surname. I know one can change by deed poll- but that's a hassle. I wonder what I'd choose. Johnson is a possibility, Oldham is another. Would a different surname make me a different person. I think it might...
Re: Nordic surnames.
Date: 2007-07-01 10:08 am (UTC)Have you read 'the book of Fathers'? The charactors in that change their names depending on what family they belong to in any period, it's a good read.
unique surnames.
Date: 2007-07-01 06:20 pm (UTC)So I'm part of a family of four, with four different surnames. We drive the school officials crazy.
Re: unique surnames.
Date: 2007-07-02 12:16 pm (UTC)