UAE STILL PRACTICES FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

Dear Isabella,

Enclosed are my thoughts of the day concerning the continued practice of female genital mutilation (“FGM”) in certain parts of the world -- mainly Africa and the Middle East. I hope that this blog will enable more people to realize that young women are still being treated as property in parts of the world where brutality is masked (and tolerated) as either a cultural or religious difference.

Your loving father,


Shawn


Recently, while I was researching the United Arab Emirates ("UAE") and the security issues raised by the recent “port” fiasco, I came across some disturbing articles that discussed UAE’s continued practice of FGM (and other human rights violations). I guess I was disappointed by this discovery as I was under the impression that the UAE was a fairly moderate country. I also found references in some articles to the Prophet Muhammad’s “supposed” support of this practice -- there is a hadith in which he is quoted as saying “do not cut too severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband,” give or take.

[Please see Female Genital Cutting Education, Networking Project and Women Living Under Muslim Laws, and Religious Tolerance.]

Here is a very quick summary of what I found and some links to interesting, if not horrifying reads regarding FGM. The linked materials are graphic, which were difficult to read without feeling squeamish. There are descriptions about how (in places) the physical act of cutting is left up to the "local barbers," which employ a very crude grab and cut technique utilizing their razors. There is a story of a young girl being held down by several adults while the procedure is being performed -- all the while she is crying to her mom to make it stop. There is another one that describes how one of the procures basically involves sewing the girl up in order to enable her husband to "display" his bloody knife around town after he has had sex with her -- the knife is used to cut the sutures that were sewn in place.

Now for some facts. It is estimated that over 2 million girls are subject to some form of FGM each year. In the Middle East, FGM is practiced in Egypt (technically Africa), Oman, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates (to name a few). In Egypt it is estimated that between 80 and 97 percent of the women have undergone some form of “clitoridectomy, excision, or infibulation.” [I wonder how this can be true. It just seems so inhumane, but I guess that is the point.] In the UAE, it is estimated that around 30 percent of the girls under age 10 are subject to some form of FGM -- but this number is less easily verifiable as it includes African immigrants.

Please see CJS for a great discussion on gender inequality. Also, please see the following sites for summaries of the data and some pictures and stories detailing the process: UNICEF, Amnesty International, World Heath Organization, CIRP, MWL, Wikipedia, and Genesis of Eden Diversity Encyclopedia.