Religion Further information: Religious views on female genital mutilation There is no mention of FGM in the Bible or Quran.[103] Although its origins are pre-Islamic, it became associated with Islam because of that religions focus on female modesty and chastity, and is found only within or near Muslim communities.[104] It is praised in several hadith (sayings attributed to Muhammad) as noble but not required, along with advice that the milder forms are kinder to women.[105] In 2006 several leading Islamic scholars called for an end to the practice, and in 2007 the Al-Azhar Supreme Council of Islamic Research in Cairo ruled that it has no basis in Islamic law.[106] According to Mackie, it is not practised in Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, Islams holiest cities, although there have been reports of it in that country, perhaps among immigrant communities.[107] Surveys have shown that there is a widespread belief in several countries, particularly Eritrea, Egypt, Guinea, Mali and Mauritania, that FGM is a religious requirement.[108] Mackie and LeJeune write that practitioners may not distinguish between religion, tradition and chastity, which makes it difficult to interpret the data.[109] Outside Islam, FGM has been practised by the Christian Copts in Egypt and Sudan, and by the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, the only Jewish group known to have practised it. Judaism requires male circumcision, but does not allow FGM.[110]
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 23:51:22 +0000