DAR AL ISLAM - GAMBIA: FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, ISLAMIC OR UNISLAMIC?!?

'Female Genital Cutting Unislamic'
by Lamin M Dibba

Edele Thebaud , acting UNICEF Representative in The Gambia has said that Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is also a violation of the bodily integrity of the child.

Despite the best efforts of those who support the practice, she said, it is now evident that FGC is not Islamic. " In fact, it predates Islam and there are Muslims who do not practise it, while there are non-Muslims who practise it," she said.

Ms Edele Thebaud made this remark at a two-day sub-regional consultative meeting on Female Genital Mutilation, organised by the International Planned Parenthood Federation in London, in collaboration with the Gambia Family Planning Association at Jerma Beach Hotel on Wednesday.

According to madam Edele Thebaud , UNICEF advocates the protection of the rights of children and women, including their rights to be protected from violence, abuse and exploitation, as well as from practices, such as Female Genital Cutting and early marriage. This, she said, "though traditional, it has been determined to be harmful and not in the best interest of the child".

According to her, UNICEF views FGC as a form of violence against the child. "It is painful both physically and emotionally and may lead to infection, including the possibility of contracting HIV. It traumatises the girl child and leads to scarification of the issue which has a long-term medical consequence for the victim."

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And now the rebuttal:


Imam Fatty rebuts FGM claim
by Sanna Jawara

Alhaji Abdoulie Fatty, the Imam of State House Mosque has rebuted claims published on 1st June edition of the Daily observer, entitled “Female Genital Cutting Unislamic” as utter rubbish.In an interview with the Daily Observer, Imam Fatty said “as far as Islam is concerned “we do observe circumcision not mutilation”. He then noted that the tradition has been in existence hundreds of years ago, well before the advent of the modern civilisation.

According to him, “in the Muslim ummah nobody can tell us what is good or not good for our tradition. Before anyone tells us about our tradition, you must convince us that you have a degree or degrees in Islamic studies” He did not hesitate to describe the publication as a big insult to the Muslim ummah and then urged the perpetrators to desist from such in the interest of religious tolerance and world peace.

According to Imam Fatty, a person who has never experienced Muslim circumcision cannot say anything genuine about it. “If the individual has undergone through the process, and as a result, contracted HIV/AIDS, and died at delivery process or the child died, this can then serve as an evidence of the dangers associated with the practice,” he added.

Imam Fatty further stated that as far as Islam is concerned, Prophet Muhammad (PBU), and his disciples, Islamic Schools of thoughts and Haddish, have all spoken well of the circumcision. He then quoted verse 36, which states that ‘Those who disbelieve and spend their wealth to hinder ‘men’ from the part of Allah, so will they continue to spend it. But in the end it will become an anguish for them. They will be overcome and those who disbelieve will be gathered unto hell”.

The Imam made several quotations from Dr Jack Faal, a renown Gynaecologist, who conducted extensive research on female circumcision, saying “despite all that has been said about it, the surgery in Female Circumcision is simple. What happens is a cutting of the skin, a piece of skin, no bone is involved in it. It amazed people who say you bleed to death in circumcision”.

The State House Imam urged religious leaders to desist from being used by other people for their selfish interest. He clearly stated that, “there is nothing horrible and sympathetic than those who drills their nose, lips, breast tips, eyes brows, biblical cords, etc, and put in irons there, all in the name so-called fashion” .


Just one more article on Female Genital Mutiliation.


GAMBIA

Pertinent Links:

1) 'Female Genital Cutting Unislamic'

2) Imam Fatty rebuts FGM claim

3) C.I.A. World Factbook