re: Skin colour of Egyptians. I have been told that in Egypt if a Christian marries a Moslem the children must be Moslem which means the Christians are pretty pure decendants of the Pharonic Egyptians and the Christians tend to be paler than other Egyptians.

Also I have been reading about the Guanches of the Canaries - there are several mentions of the Berbers (native North Africans) being paler than the invading Arabs.

I've never understood this. You tend to find the same sort of thing with Judaism. It being described as a race instead of a religion. Islam is a religion, a way of life if you will, not a race so how can a Christian and Muslim produce 'Muslim children? If a Christian marries a Muslim and they have children, what's to stop them becoming a Budhist, pagan or anything else?

I am British but ethnically i'm half Jamaican and half British and was raised a Christian. I have now converted to the Wicca path of Paganism. My husband is Persian(Iranian) but is not Muslim nor does he follow any religion apart from that where he worships his wife and child:-)

What does that make my daughter?

I do not know if it is true now but for much of the moslem occupation of Egypt it was a legal requirement that offspring of moslem/christiam marriage had to be brought up as moslems.

Yes that never seemed right to me but still, there you go! And did that apply if the mother was Muslim but hristian r other religion? Or did that only happen when the father was Muslim irrespective of the mother as I always understood?

Sorry I do not know for certain but I THINK it was anyone married to a Muslim.