May 13, 2005

Gambian Muslim Leader: Female Genital Mutilation "An Honor"

Female genital cutting(mutilation or FGM)is practiced by Muslims and non-Muslims(mostly Muslims - how many Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists or Janists do you know or have ever read of that condone this barbaric procedure?) alike residing mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa in countries that include but are not limited to Egypt, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Chad. A more minor form of the procedure is also performed in some parts of the Middle East and South Asia. Degrees of mutilation exist ranging from excision of the hood of the clitoris or clitoris itself to complete infibulation which involves removal of the clitoris, labia minora and labia majora, leaving a small opening for the passage of urine and menstrual blood.

As you might expect from the description of the procedure, normal sexual intercourse is not possible without a corrective procedure(you can only hope) and childbirth frequently involves severe trauma that can result in life-threatening hemorrhage. Other complications include chronic urinary tract and other infections, infertility, psychological trauma, sexual dysfunction, menstrual problems and several other negative medical and emotional outcomes. The procedure is performed on girls between the ages of infancy and pre-adolescence and is either carried out by a physician, midwife or designated woman from the community. Lack of sterile technique, use of the same instruments on more than one child, and lack of anesthesia all contribute to the complication rate which can even include infection with HIV.

Yet Alhaji Banding Drammeh, president of the Supreme Islamic Council - SIC(great acronym and rather appropriate), says that “FGM is a recommendation of the hadiths of the Prophet. It is an honour for a lady to undergo the practice of FGM.’’ But in fairness, he does say that the practice is optional. That one would hope is the case, and there are probably many women that wish they had never experienced FGM.

Hat tip - Dhimmi Watch

Cross posted at Hyscience

By at 09:31 AM | |