Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences
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This is a false perception. Female Genital Mutilation is not a part of the Islamic faith. It is in fact a cultural based practice. There are tribes that identify themselves as Islamic, but mix their own ancient beliefs in with the new. One result of this is FGM. As far as being practiced in the U.S., of course it likely is. Not by Muslims even, but the chance that some person somewhere in the U.S. is doing this is always possible. The statement of it being mandated in Egypt is completely new and unheard of to me. I know of no evidence pertaining to anything of the like. I know of no Egyptian female that has had FGM performed on her. Again, the chance that some Egyptian woman do is very likely. But mandated?
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Name : aysha, Gender : F, Age : 27, City : Ammon, State : ID, Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College,I’m reading a book on this subject at the moment, and apparently this disgusting practice occurs in many different religions – not just Islam. It happens most in Africa, in at least 28 countries on that continent but also in Asia, the Middle East, and immigrants to North America etc.
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Name : Carol, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 24, City : Berkshire, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Social class : Middle class,Frankly, there is no hadith or Qur’anic verse saying anything about female circumcision. And I believe it would actually fall under the category of haraam (forbidden), because it is (as I understand it, please correct me if I’m wrong)a harmful and painful practice. Many muslims even believe that tattoos are forbidden, because they involve self-mutilation. In the Middle Eastern countries you speak of, most ‘Islamic’ leaders actually have little or no knowledge of their religion. It’s a sad case of messed-up individuals using religion to triumph over uneducated people.
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Name : HYO25193, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 14, City : Detroit, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Female circumcision isn’t a Muslim practice, it’s a cultural one that vastly predates Islam. It’s mainly practised in Africa (especially NE Africa but also in some communities in the west of the continent) and is seen as both a female initiation rite and a way of making women compliant and faithful. I do not in any way agree with it but I just felt I should point out, especially given the current climate of fear and misunderstanding about Muslims, that this is by no means a Muslim practice and is nowhere sanctioned in the Q’uran. Unfortunately it is practised in the UK (although illegal) and I would guess is also practised in the US and other countries where there is a large Somali/Southern Egyptian etc population. There are many campaigns to raise awareness of the issue and to try and stamp it out, many encouragingly based in the ‘countries of origin’. I don’t buy the excuse that some people give that it’s a cultural tradition and we shouldn’t interfere – for one thing most campaigners against it are natives of the countries it’s practised in (and often vistims themselves) and secondly as a ‘cultural tradition’ my ancestors used to cut off people’s heads and display them on the town gates – but we don’t do that anymore!
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Name : Jill22156, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 31, City : London, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Female Genital Mutilation is mainly practiced by African and African-Muslim tribes and by a very few misguided ‘religious’ tribes in the Middle East – but this is not reflective of all Middle Eastern cultures by any stretch. Overall, it is an extremely uncommon practice in the Middle East and is generally condemned and even outlawed in many countries. Africa tends to be a whole other story, but FGM was practiced there long before Islam – so it is still not Islam’s ‘fault.’ I have not had FGM performed on me or any of my female ancestors and we orignated from Yemen and Saudi Arabia and are faithful Muslims.
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Name : K.L., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Arab, Religion : Muslim, Age : 26, City : Cleveland, State : OH, Country : United States, Occupation : Stay at home mom, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Female circumcision is not mandatory anywhere in the world. In fact, it is now illegal in most of the middle-east. Despite this, it does continue in much of the Nile Valley and into Africa. It is not required in Islam and most Islamic Scholars consider it prohibited, although some recommend it. It is unheard of in many Muslim countries, such as Morroco, Turkey, Iran, Bangladesh, Malaysia, etc. It is also extremely rare in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries in Western Asia. As for its practice by non-Muslims, it is (or WAS, as it is in decline) practiced (as it is a CULTURAL practice) by Christian Arabs in the Nile Valley (e.g. Egypt) and by many, but certainly not all, African tribes in Sub-saharan Africa (both Muslim and Non-Muslim, for example Kenya, Uganda, Congo. Its practice seems to be decreasing everywhere with increased education and it is increasingly only a rural phenomenon, as educated people in the cities reject it. From what I understand, it was used in western countries by doctors as a cure for nymphomania, but that has not happened for quite some time.
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Name : Leo S., Gender : M, Age : 37, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,I currently live in Egypt and I was shocked to find out that this was once a widly practiced custom. However, it is not mandatory and there has been a wide movement in recent years to educate parents in regard to this mutilation. Usually the ones that still practice this are from small towns and villages where education is lacking.
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Name : Janice A., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Mormon, Age : 42, City : Mansoura, State : NA, Country : Egypt, Occupation : Import-Export, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,1. Female genital mutilation is not really islamic though many practicioners are Muslim. It is tribal, both African and middle-eastern, and relates to the concept of women as posessions that must be guarded and prevented from straying. 2. It is illegal in the United States and most European countries but is still performed, mostly by lay practicioners, frequently under horrendous circumstances.
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Name : John29173, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Not much, Age : 50, City : Durham, State : NC, Country : United States, Occupation : Gynecologist,You are making the frequent incorrect assumption that this mutilating operation is associated with Islam. It is primarily a social practice, not a religious one. Female genital mutilation predated Islam. It originated in Africa and remains today a mainly African cultural practice. It is actually more widely practiced in countries where the predominant religion is Christianity: Examples are Ethiopia and Kenya. In multi-faith countries, it is often forced on girls whose families follow all faiths: Animism religions, Christianity, and Islam. For example, it is frequently practiced among both Muslims, Christians and Animists in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. It is also practiced by Ethiopian Jews. It has spread to a few countries in or near Africa (e.g. Egypt) which are mostly Muslim. In Egypt, it was mostly a consequence of immigration from Sudan that started as far as pharoaonic times. Nowadays it is mainly limited to the Egyptian Nubians which are a large poor minority in Egypt. Of note, it is a crime punished by 10 years of firm prison and large fine. Note that it is nonexistent in many other Muslim countries. Examples are Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and all the Maghreb countries of Northwest Africa. It is also very rare in Indonesia, Malaysia and other predominately Muslim countries in Asia. I hope this clears the common misperception that the practice is a religious one. That belief has led to unjustified religious intolerance against Muslims.
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Name : Elliot N., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 39, City : Beverly Hills, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Physician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,I’m an OB-GYN so I’ve seen a fair bit of this. Female genital mutilation is illegal here in the US. It is done here but not too commonly, and in secret. Most people have it done to their daughters before moving to the US or on trips home. There are growing political movements to ban female genital mutilation in various countries, but it’s still very common throughout Muslim North Africa. It’s not part of Islam at all, it’s not in the Koran, and it’s not done in Middle Eastern countries. Female genital mutilation is pretty much limited to North Africa and it’s an old custom that predates Islam.
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Name : Deborah, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 37, City : Fairfield, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : MD, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,There have been articles in women’s magazines, one by a very prominent model who was ‘circumcised’ in her country of origin, in which the barbaric nature of the act and results has been described. There are also several websites that describe the various aspects of female circumcision. Let’s say first that the purpose of female circumcision is not esthetics as is in males. It is done to remove all sensitivity to sexual pleasure. The idea being that women exist for the pleasure of the male, child bearing and have no need for sexual fulfillment. This also is intended to prevent women from adultery. In some cases the vagina is sewn closed so that a prospective suitor is assured a virgin, and after intercourse the vagina is sewn closed again to assure fidelity. Female circumcision is most common in Africa and South America. Although illegal in many places including the United States it can be assumed that peoples for whom this is a social custom continue to have their female children ‘circumcised.’ It is obvious that female circumcision is based in certain religion based cultures. In African countries with large Christian populations, female mutilation is illegal. The United States has made entreaties to other countries to make female mutilation illegal as a human rights issue. But among those who believe that female circumcision is based in their religious culture, it is completely justified and reject all criticism of the act.
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Name : Richard, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 57, City : Long Beach, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Retired, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,It is a common misconception that female circumcision/genital mutilation is a practice required by Islamic law. Quite to the contrary, Islam frowns very much upon this practice – reason being that in the sections of the Qur’an where sexual relations between husband and wife are discussed, it is made clear that a man must make it his priority to (completely) satisfy his wife before he himself is satisfied. This is, to me, a very beautiful thing for the Qur’an to state, and it clearly would go against any such butchering of the female body that would thereby forever prevent her from attaining any sort of intimate release. The practice of female genital mutilation came about mostly in tribal (not necessarily Islamic) countries, to ensure that a woman could not have sex with anyone but her husband, and also to crush her sexual appetite so there would be no question of her purity or fidelity. This practice spread, though it is still not widely accepted… While it is practiced in some areas of Egypt, it is by no means ‘popular’ or mandatory. It is not practiced in the United States at all.
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Name : Jen H., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 19, City : Clark, State : NJ, Country : United States, Occupation : med student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I am a Muslim, and to my knowledge, no one in my family or otherwise has received a female circumcision. In some African tribes this is a ritual, but nowhere in Islam does it mention the above-said topic.
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Name : Mariam, Gender : F, Religion : Muslim, City : Arlington, State : VA, Country : United States,I feel quite certain female circumcision is not ‘mandatory’ anywhere, that is, the child is routinely cut in the hospital directly and enforced by law. But many Middle East and African cultures accept female circumcision as a matter of course, although programs, such as supported by the UN, are making inroads. Female circumcision is almost certainly illegally practiced in the United States like it is in Europe by immigrants who have brought their culture with them. I have heard of no reasonable civilized argument that can promote this mutilation of female genitalia. But I can’t understand male circumcision, either.
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Name : Tom24092, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 30, City : Arbor, State : NA, Country : Sweden, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Hi, I am from the Maldives, which is the only other 100% Muslim country in the world other than Saudi Arabia. And no, female circumcision is not practiced in the Maldives. In the very olden days it used to be, but only to the extent of drawing out blood by pricking a sterile needle in the clitoris. I have a lot of friends who are from Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. And none of them have been circumcised. I think It is more cultural than religious, because I know it is practiced in parts of Africa to horrifying levels. In Islam, is it not required for females to be circumcised at all.
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Name : Sanau, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Maldivian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 27, City : Male', State : NA, Country : Maldives, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,
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