Despite a 1996 ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Egypt, the issue continues to be a divisive one, especially amid fears that the ban could be reversed under an Islamist government.
Many Egyptians find it difficult to accept the issue is a pressing one and deny the alarmingly high statistics, like one by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNIFC) which states that 91 percent of women are circumcised in the country.
Updated in January 2012, the UNIFC global databases are grounded on Demographic Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and other national surveys collected from 2002 and 2008.
Many Egyptians find it difficult to accept the issue is a pressing one and deny the alarmingly high statistics, like one by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNIFC) which states that 91 percent of women are circumcised in the country.
Updated in January 2012, the UNIFC global databases are grounded on Demographic Health Surveys, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys and other national surveys collected from 2002 and 2008.
With the toppling of the Egyptian regime and the Islamists escaping the grip of Hosni Mubarak’s iron fist, talk of reversing the 1996 ban based on religious grounds has resurfaced.
Amid the rising speculations that FGM would be legalized in Egypt, the Freedom and Justice Party was accused in May of sending a large medical convoy into the village of Abu Aziz in the Minya governorate, south of Cairo which offered to perform the operation for as little as 30 Egyptian pounds ($4.90).
When asked about such reports, Muslim scholar and member of the Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Gamal Qutb, told Al Arabiya: “Why bring up the topic of female genital mutilation at this time? There is absolutely no evidence that the Islamists support it. The fear about it being legalized again in Egypt is a result of unethical media practices where young reporters have nothing better to do than speak about this topic. If it is indeed carried out, it is done so for traditional reasons, not religious. It is irrelevant to the Muslim Brotherhood and has nothing to do with Islam whatsoever.”
However, other religious figures have publically endorsed the practice. Nasser al-Shaker, a member of the dissolved parliament and a member of the Salafi Nour Party, declared on Mehwar Satellite Television station last May that FGM was Sunnah, denoting a practice done during Prophet Mohammed’s, as reported by Egypt Independent.
This view often clashes with liberals, especially feminists, who, along with NGOs, have campaigned against FGM in Egypt.
The Egyptian feminist, writer and physician Nawal el-Saadawi was the first to shed light on the issue across the region. Circumcised at the age of six in the summer of 1937, she grew up to see her patients suffer serious health consequences when she became a practicing physician. Her writings on the subject led to her dismissal as Director of Public Health in the 1960s.
“Everything is possible depending on the ruling party. The government controls everything in the country; they own weapons, money, and media. When any new government comes to power, they definitely implement changes,” she told Al Arabiya.
According to the World Health Organization, FGM is recognized as a violation of human rights of women and children, as it is often carried out on minors, reflecting gender inequality that violates a person’s right to health, security, and physical integrity.
Amid the rising speculations that FGM would be legalized in Egypt, the Freedom and Justice Party was accused in May of sending a large medical convoy into the village of Abu Aziz in the Minya governorate, south of Cairo which offered to perform the operation for as little as 30 Egyptian pounds ($4.90).
When asked about such reports, Muslim scholar and member of the Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Gamal Qutb, told Al Arabiya: “Why bring up the topic of female genital mutilation at this time? There is absolutely no evidence that the Islamists support it. The fear about it being legalized again in Egypt is a result of unethical media practices where young reporters have nothing better to do than speak about this topic. If it is indeed carried out, it is done so for traditional reasons, not religious. It is irrelevant to the Muslim Brotherhood and has nothing to do with Islam whatsoever.”
However, other religious figures have publically endorsed the practice. Nasser al-Shaker, a member of the dissolved parliament and a member of the Salafi Nour Party, declared on Mehwar Satellite Television station last May that FGM was Sunnah, denoting a practice done during Prophet Mohammed’s, as reported by Egypt Independent.
This view often clashes with liberals, especially feminists, who, along with NGOs, have campaigned against FGM in Egypt.
The Egyptian feminist, writer and physician Nawal el-Saadawi was the first to shed light on the issue across the region. Circumcised at the age of six in the summer of 1937, she grew up to see her patients suffer serious health consequences when she became a practicing physician. Her writings on the subject led to her dismissal as Director of Public Health in the 1960s.
“Everything is possible depending on the ruling party. The government controls everything in the country; they own weapons, money, and media. When any new government comes to power, they definitely implement changes,” she told Al Arabiya.
According to the World Health Organization, FGM is recognized as a violation of human rights of women and children, as it is often carried out on minors, reflecting gender inequality that violates a person’s right to health, security, and physical integrity.
By Yasmin Helal. If you would like to read the full article, click here.
