[Lyz]

FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) is not a requirement of Islam; some practitioners do, you are correct, follow it, but some do not. FGM is practiced in countries around the world, including the US. Actualy until the mid ’70s it was covered by some insurance companies. FGM is mostly a cultural practice, not a religious one, in many African nations it is practiced equally by Christians, Muslims and Animists.

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Name : Lyz, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Buddhist, Age : 20, City : n/a, State : NA, Country : Canada, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[lh]

‘Female circumcision’, more properly female genital mutilation, is about repression of women, not the religion of Islam. It’d be untrue to say these specifically correlate: many Islam-practicing countries treat women comparatively well, and many non-Islamic countries are misogynist. It’s not mandatory in any country. However, some misogynistic cultures in Africa virtually force the mutilation: should a bride say no, she is mutilated in a more violent manner. It’s illegal and not practiced elsewhere, save for the odd case of immigrants here and there.

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Name : lh, Gender : M, Age : 21, City : Espoo, State : NA, Country : Finland, 

[Christine]

I do not believe female circumcision is mandatory in most Middle Eastern countries, in fact, it’s unheard of in Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. It’s also unheard of in Turkey, which is a 98% muslim country. The practice is illegal in Britain, the United States and many European countries (see http://www.crlp.org/pub_fac_fgmicpd.html). I also want to clarify: Female circumcision is a cultural practice, as opposed to a Muslim practice. It is NOT a requirement of the religion. On the other hand, male circumcision IS required by the Islamic religion. This topic is highly debated within different factions of Islam.In my experience (I am friends with Muslims from many different countries), this is a rare practice in Islam, certainly not the standard. But it is unfortunately prevalent in Egypt (though now illegal) and many African nations.

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Name : Christine, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 31, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA, Country : United States, Occupation : writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Glenn]

Although I have lived and traveled in the Republic of Turkey (99% Muslim) for more than 15 years , am married to a Muslim, and have a teenage daughter who has attended local public schools from elementary school age on, I have never heard of such a thing being done in this country. It is NOT peculiar to Islam nor is it mandated in the Koran. Female circumcision is a cultural practice which is attributed to Islam in order to provide religious justification for its continuation. It short, it’s a myth and one which I believe is peculiar to the African continent.

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Name : Glenn, Gender : M, Religion : Christian, Age : 48, City : Turkey, State : NA, Country : Turkey, Occupation : retired, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jasmine]

Female circumcision is not mandatory for females in Islam (as in the Quran or Hadith). Clitoridectomy or Infibulation is not so much a religious requirment as it is a cultural practice. Female genital mutilation predated Islam. It originated in Africa and remains today a mainly African cultural practice. Some points to note : It is 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. 3 FGM was once practiced by Ethiopian Jews (a.k.a. Beta Israel; formerly known by the derogatory term ‘Falashas’). 9, 16, 17,19 This practice was apparently discontinued some time ago. A pediatrician who works in the Beta Israel community claims that they no do not practice FGM in Israel. Also, their daughters who were born in Ethiopia were not mutilated. FGM has spread to countries in or near Africa (e.g. Egypt) which are Muslim. But FGM is rare or nonexistent in many other Muslim countries. Examples are Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey. Also, It is not done in the Maghreb countries of Northwest Africa. FGM is only occasionally found in Indonesia and other predominantly Muslim countries in Asia. It is true that sunna (circumcision) is compulsory for males, for females who desire to ‘purify’ themselves (I know twisted) sunna is performed thus : a needle is used to prick the clitoris and a bit of blood must pass. That’s it.

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Name : Jasmine, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Ceylonese, Religion : Secular Humanist, Age : 24, City : Singapore, State : NA, Country : Singapore, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[R.J.]

Female genital mutilation is a cultural and NOT a religious phenomenon. Islam does not endorse genital mutilation of women, however, men should be circumcised. The practice is unfortunately common in many African countries (not so often the Middle East) that happen to be mostly Muslim.

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Name : R.J., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 28, City : Saginaw, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Patricia19880]

Female circumcision and Islam have nothing to do with each other but because of their close proximity a lot of people tend to think they are connected. Female circumcision is a cultural practice usually in Africa and the Mideast. It is about removing the sexual pleasure of females (the clitoris) and somehow to ‘prevent’ the girl from growing a penis (myth used to scare girls into this practice). It also has to do with the notion of cleanliness, purity and providing pleasure for their future husband. A girl/woman who is not circumcised is considered unclean. The practice was common in areas such as India/Pakistan down through the mid-east and into Africa. Its mostly practice in Africa in which non-Muslim Africans and Christian-Africans still practice this procedure more out of cultural habit than out of religious reasons. You have to understand that Islam has moved into Africa over stages since 640 A.D. Islam is still working its way south into Africa as animist Africans continue to circumcise their females. In a few generations it will seem as if there is a correlation between female circumcision and Islam when there isn’t. It’s a cultural practice that is dying off as Islam deepens into Africa…the practice will end. Yet there are a few holdouts. No different than those few crazy Mormons who still hold onto the practice of bigamy. There is nothing in the Qu’ran that states a woman (or girl) must undergo this procedure. It is not called ‘Muslim’ female circumcision, just female circumcision.

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Name : Patricia19880, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : African Methodist Episcopalian, Age : 38, City : Waukegan, State : IL, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[J-McLain]

What is often referred to as ‘female circumcision’ is actually genital mutilation. It is not common in Western countries, but cases are still found. It leaves the woman virtually unable to enjoy sexual intercourse and usually makes it a painful and frightening experience.

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Name : J-McLain, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 46, City : Middleburg, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Religion Professor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Annie]

I’m a female muslim from the U.S., and I’ve lived in the U.S., Turkey, and China, all in areas with large muslim populations…I can tell you that in the states, you would have a very hard time finding a doctor willing to do a female circumcision; in Turkey, it is not practiced at all, and it’s not the practice among Muslims in China, either. It’s actually not a Muslim practice specifically, but dates back to pre-Islamic times in the Arabian peninsula and greater Middle East. Judgements on it are mentioned in some oral traditions ascribed to the Prophet Mohammed, so that’s partly how we know it was around before Islam. It’s also not ‘mandatory’ (ie it’s not required by law), but is rather a social convention. To my understanding, it’s also the practice among some Coptic Christians in Egypt, and other non-muslims in North Africa.

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Name : Annie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Muslim, Age : 27, City : Shanghai, State : NA, Country : China, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[S-OHara]

Female circumcision is a barbaric custom. It ruins the female sex desire (which is why they do it) and also makes it painful for her to have sex, more painful to have children, etc., plus it increases risks of infection and death during childbirth, etc. I had read about cases in London where parents of immigrants wanted it done to their daughters and the London doctors were refusing to do it, the daughters were trying to run away, etc. The Koran never mentions this practice, just as the Koran never mentions veiling women. Like the Bible, as far as I know, the only thing the Koran tells its followers is that they should be modest.

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Name : S-OHara, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Asian, Religion : Christian, Age : 37, City : Wichita Falls, State : TX, Country : United States, Occupation : Writer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Margo]

I don’t thonk that Female Genital Mutialtion is mandatory in the sense of being required by law, anywhere, but there is a strong cultural pressure. Many emigrants from countries where FGM is common continue to follow the practice where they live. In the UK, FGM is illegal and considered as assault/child abuse, but there is evidence of people taking their daughters ‘home’ for this practice to be carried out. I would guess the same is true in most European countries and in the US. I am not a Muslim but to the best of my knoweldge this is not something mandated or sanctioned by Islam, although it is the cultural norm among many populations that are predominantly Muslim.

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Name : Margo, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 27, City : Manchester, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : lawyer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Jill24447]

Female circumcision has nothing to do with Islam – it existed long before Islam and is not practiced in most Muslim countries. It’s mainly in East African (especially Somalian, and some Sudanese) and seems to be cultural. There is nothing in the Quran that says females must be circumcised – like I say, it’s cultural, like male circumcision. I don’t know about the U.S. but I know that it is occasionally done (although illegal) in the UK among the Somali community and others from NE Africa. But please, don’t think it’s a ‘Muslim thing’ because it really isn’t. I’m not a Muslim myself but do have Muslim friends and live in a Muslim area (South Asian) and it hurts them when people slur them with this kind of thing by mistakenly thinking it’s something all Muslims do.

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Name : Jill24447, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 30, City : London, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Niki]

Yes, unfortunately Female Genital Mutilation does occur in the United States. I’m fairly certain that if it can happen here, it can happen in other non-Muslim countries.

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Name : Niki, Gender : F, Religion : Buddhist, City : Theresa, State : WI, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

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