According to the WHO (World Health Organization), FGM/C (female genital
mutilation/cutting) includes all procedures and practices that intentionally
alter or injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and the
age of 15 – normally by untrained midwifes without anesthetic, using unsterile
cutting devices. Approximately 140 million girls and
women worldwide live with the consequences of FGM/C and an estimated number of
three million girls in Africa are at risk of undergoing the procedure each
year. Every form of FGM/C harms women and girls physically as well as mentally.
Consequences can include excessive
bleeding that in some cases even leads to death, problems urinating, childbirth
complications and stillbirths, serious infections, pain and fear during
intercourse, feelings of oppression and depression, among many others. How can this severe human rights violation be stopped?
Recently, I have noticed that there seems to be a trend to
end the harmful traditional practice FGM/C by obtaining fatwas from religious
leaders of Islam. Putting an end to a custom that is part of an ancient
culture, but often justified by the religion, raises the question whether
fatwas are an effective tool for changing the underlying attitudes that have
developed over the past 5,000 years. Can religious fatwas really stop FGM/C and
change a cultural tradition at its roots?
To begin with, a fatwa is a groundbreaking legal edict in
the faith of Islam that can be pronounced and issued by an Islamic scholar
(e.g. Imam, Mufti, Sheik) after being discussed with other scholars. Whether a
fatwa is legally binding or not depends on the religious tradition such as
Sunni or Shi'a Muslims. In order to answer the question of whether fatwas can
stop FGM/C, it is important to keep in mind that FGM/C is an ancient custom
that has already been practiced long before the arrival of Christianity as well
as Islam. However, now the custom is mainly carried out in African countries
around the Sahel zone and emigrants from these countries have also brought
their traditions to Europe, the U.S. and other countries. Even though the FGM/C
is also practiced by Christians, the majority is Muslim and in many cases they
erroneously use the religion of Islam as a justification for this cultural
tradition.
FGM/C is practiced by specific ethnic groups and tribes
rather than by citizens of a whole country. Not only in remote rural areas, but
also in bigger urban centers, girls undergo this procedure and the tradition is
prevalent. The traditional practice often constitutes a taboo and therefore is
shrouded in silence that needs to be broken. Moreover, due to the lack of
education and discourse, even the decision-makers and opinion leaders of
specific groups are often unaware of the negative consequences and the harm the
excision of female genitals causes for women and thus for the whole community.
FGM/C is an accepted and required social behavior which is justified by a fatal
system of beliefs that include: uncircumcised women are unclean, will not find
a husband and have a bad life; women’s genitalia grow uncontrollably if they’re
not cut off; it is a religious requirement; it is a necessary rite of passage
to womanhood and it plays an essential part in raising a girl properly; only to
mention a few.
As FGM/C is practiced by many Muslims who expect it to be
a religious requirement in Islam, there has been a growing number of
influential and high-ranking Muslim scholars
that have taken a public stance on the issue. Remarkably, there was an
international conference in which
Islamic scholars, scientists, specialist researchers, medical doctors and
activists of NGOs from around the world participated in order to take responsibility
and discuss the inviolability of the female body as well as a ban of female
excision in Islam. The conference took place on 22/23 November 2006 under the
patronage of Prof Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt, and was hosted at the university of al-Azhar in Cairo, the
intellectual center of Sunni Islam. After hearing speakers from across the
different fields, the participants of the conference unanimously concluded that
“the mutilation practiced in some parts of Egypt,
Africa and elsewhere today represents a deplorable custom which finds no
justification in the authoritative sources of Islam, the Qur’an and the
practice of the Prophet Muhammad.” This historic conclusion was also written
down in a fatwa.
The participants of the conference emphasized that the Prophet Muhammad
never subjected any of his own daughters to excision and that the prohibition
of inflicting harm on any human being is a key principle in Islam. Thus, the
practice of FGM/C is a crime that violates the highest values of Islam and is
consequently forbidden today. Furthermore,
men and women are equal in terms of the human spirit they share. In the eyes of
God, men and women are to be treated the same way regarding social
responsibilities, education, finances, property and all other religious
obligations. However, due to the harm female
excision causes, it cannot be compared to male circumcision and therefore needs
to be stopped. Islam honors women deeply
and guarantees their physical and mental protection. Besides, both genders are
equal as they complement each other – regardless of all natural differences,
men and women are the honored creation of God.
With the conference at al-Azhar, Islam has proven to be a religion of
learning that is able to adapt to changes in the world and develop further
according to the current knowledge in science. The participants of the
conference call upon Muslims around the world to put an end to this ancient
custom and speak up wherever it is practiced. Additionally, they further
request regional and international organizations as well as institutions,
governments and the media to work towards the elimination of FGM/C, and to
educate people about medical principles as well the negative effects the
practice has on the health of women and society in general.
The practice of FGM/C shows the
complex interplay between cultural traditions and religion. As religious
leaders often have the last word, fatwas are a useful tool for supporting
awareness campaigns of organizations and individuals towards putting an end to
the custom. Yet, fatwas alone are unlikely to stop FGM/C as they only work
against the symptoms, but not the roots of the cultural tradition that is
derived from the myth of female chastity and purity. Fatwas are good to start
with, but it will take more to change a culture at its roots that predates the
rise of Islam as a religion.
Finally, more work needs to be done towards breaking
patriarchal structures and common internalized misconceptions. Therefore, it is
crucial to put all our efforts into the empowerment and education of especially
women and children. This will change the consciousness of groups that still
practice the tradition FGM/C today, and it will automatically stop them from
doing so in the future. In the end, the last decision of rejecting the
traditional practice, and thus changing prevalent social beliefs, has to come
from the people itself and cannot be forced from the outside through rules or
laws.
By Nicole Staiger
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By Nicole Staiger
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