In Egypt, Female Circumcision isn’t Subjective

This article, written by Hannah Edwar, appeared on Bikya Masr on September 16,2012

CAIRO: Let’s get something clear first: the problem with female circumcision in Egypt has absolutely nothing to do with religion. Even though practitioners often believe the practice has some sort of religious support, religious leaders of both Islam and Christianity have openly and officially condemned it.

Female circumcision is purely cultural; it is thought to have existed in ancient Egypt, Ethiopia, and Greece, and therefore the practice transcends religion.

Its practitioners look at it as a fundamental part of their culture and identity and perceive it as a part of their religious duties.

Social media went into a state of disbelief when one of the female presidential advisors outlined her views on female circumcision recently. In an interview, she stated that it’s a method to “refine” or “beautify” women and that her problem with it isn’t the fact that its actually performed, but the “when” its performed. While the rest of us are worried about things like death, sexual dysfunction, infection and urethra damage, she’s more fixated on how it shouldn’t be performed before puberty.

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*Photo Credit: UN Women