Current Issues Female Genital Cutting

Summary of the Issue

Hargeisa, Somalia. 1996. Hudan, age 6, being held by her sister Farhyia, age 18, while undergoing female genital cutting. Photo Credit: Jean-Marc Bouju/AP Images.

Female genital cutting (“FGC”) is one of several terms used to describe the procedure in which all or part of a woman’s, or girl’s, external genitalia are cut and/or removed. Other terms which are used for this procedure are female genital mutilation (“FGM”) and clitoridectomy. We opt for FGC because we find it to be the most accurate and neutral term.

FGC is a practice that originated in some parts of Africa, primarily Egypt and Sudan. It is a cultural practice that dates back thousands of years – back to the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs – and was practiced long before the birth of Islam in the 7th century. In Egypt, it is practiced by Christians as well as Muslims ¹. Although, especially in rural areas, FGC is often believed to be an Islamic practice, it has been condemned by Islamic scholars, denounced in fatwas, and rendered illegal by governmental statutes. If the purpose of FGC is to decrease or eliminate a woman’s sexual enjoyment and thus ensure chastity, then this goes against the principles of Islam, which does not allow monks or nuns and which considers sexual relations to be a healthy benefit of marriage. In fact, some Islamic jurists gave women the right to divorce if their husbands neglected conjugal relations for period of time ².

Tribal customs and ancient cultural norms are very powerful and are often legitimized by characterization as “religious,” even when they are not. This practice continues in Egypt, though it has been outlawed.

WISE is working to eliminate this cultural practice by partnering with local NGOs to educate Muslims about how it is not an Islamic religious practice but a cultural one that is harmful to women and to society.

[1] Leila Ahmad, Women and Gender in Islam (Yale 1992), p.176.
[2] Azizah al-Hibri, “Introduction to Muslim Women’s Rights” in Windows of Faith: Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North America, Gisela Webb (ed.), p. 70.

WISE Shura Council Statement on the Issue

WISE Shura Council FGC Digest Statement

WISE Shura Council FGC 2-Page Statement

Organizations Active on this Issue

Forward

Stop FGM in Kurdistan

Stop FGM

WISE Activism

Newspaper/Magazine Articles

Haje Keli, “Combating female genital mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan” Kurdish Herald Vol. 1 Issue 4, August 2009. Available from: Kurdish Herald

H’Rina DeTroy, “Sudan’s Female Genital Mutilation Countered By Henna-Dyed Hands”, July 28, 2009 Huffington Post. Available from: Huffington Post

Qantara.de, “Scholars Proscribe Abuse of the Female Body.” Available from: Qantara.de

Sara Corbett, “A Cutting Tradition” January 20, 2008, New York Times. Available from: New York Times.

Women Living Under Muslim Laws, “Kenya: Doctors Asked to Stop FGM in Clinics”, August 18, 2009. Available from: Women Living Under Muslim Laws.

Rowena Davis, “Daughters in Danger” Tuesday July 22, 2008, The Guardian. Available from: The Guardian.

Al-Arabiya, “Egypt makes first arrest over female circumcision”, August 13, 2009. Available from: Al-Arabiya.

Jasmin Bauomy, “Activists fight female circumcision” December 19, 2008, Al-Jazeera English. Available from: Al-Jazeera English.

The Somaliland Times, “Islam United to Stop Female Genital Mutilation”, November 9, 2005. Available from: The Somaliland Times.

Scholarly Articles

L. Newland, “Female circumcision: Muslim identities and zero tolerance policies in rural West Java” Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Arts and Law, University of the South Pacific, Fiji. Available from: Science Direct.

Ab. Rahman Isa, Rashidah Shuib, M. Shukri Othman, “The Practice of Female Circumcision among Muslims in Kelantan, Malaysia” Reproductive Health Matters, 1999.