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.