What’s in a name?

SIR—If I went to church or a mosque, and I was asked what my name was and I said, “Ssebuliba Kawuma”, I would be asked for a first name. We can often tell people’s religion by so-called first names. But what are names for? What were names for before religions came? Names were for identity first. Societies have confused personal identities with religious tags, which is a pity. Religions have “encouraged” foreign riders in order to qualify to belong to the Faith. Why should people not be free to pick identifiers for themselves without others imputing religion? Medi Kawuma, Makerere University