Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Female Genital Mutilation as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.”
The World Health Organisation classifies Female Genital Mutilation as four kinds:
i) Clitoridectomy: refers to partial or total excision of the clitoris itself; this procedure may or may not involve removal of part or all of the labia minora.
ii) Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora.
iii) Infibulation: also known as “pharaonic” circumcision, infibulation is the most severe form of genital mutilation, where not only are the clitoris and labia minora removed but also portions of the labia majora. The vaginal orifice is sewn closed, with only a small aperture left for the release of urine and menstrual blood.
iv) Other: all other procedures for non-medical purposes that are harmful to female genitalia, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Female Genital Mutilation as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.”
The World Health Organisation classifies Female Genital Mutilation as four kinds:
i) Clitoridectomy: refers to partial or total excision of the clitoris itself; this procedure may or may not involve removal of part or all of the labia minora.
ii) Excision: partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora.
iii) Infibulation: also known as “pharaonic” circumcision, infibulation is the most severe form of genital mutilation, where not only are the clitoris and labia minora removed but also portions of the labia majora. The vaginal orifice is sewn closed, with only a small aperture left for the release of urine and menstrual blood.
iv) Other: all other procedures for non-medical purposes that are harmful to female genitalia, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising.
Reasons for the practice of FGM:
• FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that female genitalia are ‘unclean’ and need to be cut.
• It is often tied to marriageability because it is commonly believed in some cultures that women who have undergone circumcision or FGM are more desirous for men to marry.
• To reduce a woman’s libido to protect her chastity.
• For the sexual pleasure of her husband, particularly in the case of infibulation about which it is thought that narrowing the vaginal orifice enhances the man’s sexual pleasure.
The medical consequences of FGM are horrific. They range from chronic infections to problems in childbirth, intercourse and menstruation. The WHO state that female genital mutilation increases the chance of the mother’s death in childbirth and the risk of a child being born dead. Also, some young females who have undergone such an operation have died because of severe haemorrhaging resulting from shock due to excessive loss of blood. FGM can also leave women permanently disfigured, traumatised, deprived of a clitoris and any chance of sexual enjoyment. Despite the fact that Islam condemns the mutilation of female genitalia and the damaging effects of FGM, some Muslim communities where FGM is practised have not condemned it as much as one would have hoped.
• FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that female genitalia are ‘unclean’ and need to be cut.
• It is often tied to marriageability because it is commonly believed in some cultures that women who have undergone circumcision or FGM are more desirous for men to marry.
• To reduce a woman’s libido to protect her chastity.
• For the sexual pleasure of her husband, particularly in the case of infibulation about which it is thought that narrowing the vaginal orifice enhances the man’s sexual pleasure.
The medical consequences of FGM are horrific. They range from chronic infections to problems in childbirth, intercourse and menstruation. The WHO state that female genital mutilation increases the chance of the mother’s death in childbirth and the risk of a child being born dead. Also, some young females who have undergone such an operation have died because of severe haemorrhaging resulting from shock due to excessive loss of blood. FGM can also leave women permanently disfigured, traumatised, deprived of a clitoris and any chance of sexual enjoyment. Despite the fact that Islam condemns the mutilation of female genitalia and the damaging effects of FGM, some Muslim communities where FGM is practised have not condemned it as much as one would have hoped.
Female Circumcision and Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM) in Islam
The issue of female genital mutilation, as distinction from circumcision, is a hangover from pre-Islamic cultures that practised what was sometimes known as ‘Pharaonic circumcision’ of women, thus betraying its origins.
It centres around a perceived problem of female sexual desire that led to discussions about how to reduce women’s desire in order to prevent them from committing fornication.
According to those of this opinion, all women have an insatiable sexual appetite such that if left to their own devices they would turn into uncontrollable nymphomaniacs and temptresses luring men into illicit relations. Male accountability was ignored and women were blamed as though they are the source of temptation. To curb this problem, several methods were used to control the ‘problem of female sexuality.’
One of the controversial methods used to ‘control’ female sexual desire has been through the pre-Islamic practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) for the perceived benefit of men and society at large. Although there are some differences of opinion amongst Muslim jurists regarding the permissibility of the much less severe female circumcision of the Sunnah, jurists state that female circumcision is not synonymous with female genital mutilation. Whilst the former is considered by some to be permissible according to the sharī‘ah, the latter is unquestionably forbidden.
The issue of female genital mutilation, as distinction from circumcision, is a hangover from pre-Islamic cultures that practised what was sometimes known as ‘Pharaonic circumcision’ of women, thus betraying its origins.
It centres around a perceived problem of female sexual desire that led to discussions about how to reduce women’s desire in order to prevent them from committing fornication.
According to those of this opinion, all women have an insatiable sexual appetite such that if left to their own devices they would turn into uncontrollable nymphomaniacs and temptresses luring men into illicit relations. Male accountability was ignored and women were blamed as though they are the source of temptation. To curb this problem, several methods were used to control the ‘problem of female sexuality.’
One of the controversial methods used to ‘control’ female sexual desire has been through the pre-Islamic practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) for the perceived benefit of men and society at large. Although there are some differences of opinion amongst Muslim jurists regarding the permissibility of the much less severe female circumcision of the Sunnah, jurists state that female circumcision is not synonymous with female genital mutilation. Whilst the former is considered by some to be permissible according to the sharī‘ah, the latter is unquestionably forbidden.