Egypt bans forced female circumcision... what about other nations?

Question

Forced circumcision of women is a barbaric practice akin to cannibalism and human sacrifice, because like such practices, people die in the name of religion. It is a torturous procedure that scars a woman physically, sexually, and psychologically for life.

All nations on Earth should state unanimously that forced mutilation of genitalia should be abolished. Religious practices that involve circumcision should involve only consenting, informed adults.

Some may disagree, but it is the only fair system. People die and suffer needlessly because of superstitious barbarism.

Less common is severe harm to male children over the procedure. I think if the law banned all forms of forced circumcision, men and women would be protected from this danger.

I don't think this is a privacy or religious issue. You may be free to believe what you want, and beliefs are not subject to law, but actions are. Actions have consequences and should be punishable and made illegal in these cases.

Obviously some will disagree for religious reasons.

However, these harmful and often irreversable procedures affect innocent children who have no say in what you do to their bodies.

Just as there are laws regarding child abuse, this is a kind of harm which can scar someone literally and emotionally for life. There should be laws protecting the innocent from such painful and sometimes fatal procedures.

Your thoughts?

Keep them civil.

RW-

Maybe so, but as a member of the "the way I was born" club, and suffering no medical problems, I disagree with your opinion that it is a necessary procedure.

I could also claim that removal of the outer earlobes is a perfectly safe procedure that eliminates the need to clean and maintain that body part.

But to force such a procedure on children, even with no long term side effects other than missing their ears, is still morally unjustified. It is NOT a necessary procedure and the child, who will become an adult, may regret such a decision being made on their behalf.

It is more common than you think for circumcised men to have negative feelings about their procedure. Therefore I believe it is being done unjustly.

Simply put, I disagree. But we won't convince each other.

Answer 1

It should not be called circumcision.

Circumcision does not remove the ability to have orgasm.

Apples. Oranges.

Answer 2

firstly, "Female circumcision" or more accurately, Female Genital Mutilation, is a horrible thing and should indeed be eradicated from the planet.

secondly, laws that cannot be enforced, are bad.

additionally: there *is* a legitimate procedure that is correctly called female circumcision, which is NOT harmful.

and Male circumcision, is *entirely* different. when done correctly it is extremely rare for it to have complications, or cause any real negative effects.
Male circumcision is NOT harmful, and there is a procedure to pseudo-reverse it.

PROPERLY done circumcision on males is not a danger, in fact the child is put in more danger by *not* doing it, particularly in poverty stricken parts of the world, but even in entirely modern settings, its much easier, safer, and beneficial for the child to be circumcised, with little to no real risk or drawbacks.

Answer 3

What is Islamic ruling for female circumcision? I heard that some countries like Egypt already banned this ritual. In my home country it is still considered wajib for both male and female. And the authorised party explained that it was taken from Shafie school. Is it right? Here in Japan, a few Japanese Muslims ask me if they must go for a circumcision. Of course, they fear it, especially women. Please advise me how to answer them correctly with Hadeeth and al-Quran if possible. Syukran.

Fatwa

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
Circumcision is one of the fitra acts (matters that correspond to the nature of mankind) and the lawmaker has emphasized it. Muslim, al-Bukhari and others narrated that the Prophet (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Five things are parts of one's Fitra: shaving the pubic hair, circumcision, trimming the moustache, removing the hair under the armpits and trimming the nails". The scholars have three known different opinions: 1 -It is a Sunnah for men and likable for women. 2 -It is obligatory on both men and women. This is the view of the Shafi'e school of Fiqh. 3 -It is obligatory on men and likable for women. The scholars, then, have different opinions over this matter because there is no explicit sound text (Qura'an or Hadith) which the rule could be based. It is only that each group of scholars has a given opinion with some evidence that the other group rejects for not being sound or failing to be indicative of where the disagreement is. They give instead their own opinion. Anyway, circumcision is more established and stressed for men than it is for women as it is difficult for the non-circumcised man to be fully sure of not having some dirt or urine on his penis. But this is not the case for women. As for our Japanese brothers, you should make clear to them that circumcision is one of the Fitra's elements which are part of the religion and which are from the Islamic rites. It is also a feature of Muslims as opposed to non-Muslims. Muslims are known to be circumcised. Circumcision has some purification profits. Tell them also that Abraham the father of the Prophet's (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) got circumcised at the age of eighty as narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim. Try also to clarify to them that what they fear is no longer a problem as there are now very modern surgery techniques. This is for men. As for women who have passed the adolescent age, it is better not to ask them to do circumcision as there is no text asking them to do so. And when there is no order to do something or to leave it, the person has the choice then. And Allah knows best.

Answer 4

Footbinding disappeared after Communist China came into power. It will take a serious campaign by governments to bring it to an end. More education and literacy will always help. I think human rights reform should be required of any country with a poor track record if they seek out aid from Western countries.

Answer 5

Good for Egypt. One thing you must realize is that not all nations carry the same laws and hold the same freedoms as the USA. Some of the laws other nations have would shock you.

Answer 6

Female circumcision should be classified as a crime against humanity.

This causes a lot of unnecessary physical pain on innocent girls.

Answer 7

I agree with your opinion.
Forced cutting of the genitals of either the male or the female is horrible. People die from both practices each year.

I feel one should not be allowed to cut parts off of someone's body without their informed consent, be it the mother or the father irrelevant of their intentions. It is an irreversible process. How will the child view your decision when he grows up? See this video: http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=137650&fr=ybr_sbc
By forcing the procedure onto him, you are denying him his human rights of bodily integrity.

No medical institution in the world actually recommends male circumcision either.
Let's have a look at medical associations in the developed world. The British Medical Association, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, Canadian Paediatric Society, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, Australian College of Paediatrics and Australasian Association of Paediatric Surgeons. Every one of them recommends AGAINST performing the procedure. Their positions on the procedure can be found here: http://www.circumcision.org/position.htm



I'm just going to point out some things in the AAP circumcision policy statement.
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics%3b103/3/686
http://www.circumcision.org/aap.htm
"It warns physicians that parents should not be coerced by medical professionals to choose circumcision, suggesting that some medical professionals have coerced parents to choose circumcision. In fact, some infants have been circumcised even though parents explicitly requested no circumcision. "

"The AAP statement acknowledges that the foreskin contains "a concentration of specialized sensory cells" and reports that "penile sensation and sexual satisfaction are decreased for circumcised males." "

"The report recognizes the extreme pain and trauma caused by circumcision as evidenced by large increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels during circumcision. The AAP notes that according to a recent study, circumcised infants exhibit a stronger pain response to vaccination at six months than uncircumcised infants, demonstrating that the effects of circumcision are not short-lived. By calling for pain medication, in the form of injection into the infant’s penis, the AAP acknowledges that this extreme pain and trauma of circumcision are serious. "

"The statement takes a position of not recommending circumcision. Consistent with all previous AAP reports, no proven, actual benefits for circumcision are found. The claims of potential medical benefits are discussed in more detail that the last report (1989) and shown to be insignificant. The debate about medical benefits is over. "

"As in previous reports, hygiene is not an issue. According to the report, "there is little evidence to affirm the association between circumcision status and optimal penile hygiene.""





The foreskin keeps the glans soft and moist and protects it from trauma and injury. Without this protection, the glans becomes dry, calloused, and desensitized from exposure and chafing.
Specialized nerve endings in the foreskin enhance sexual pleasure.
The foreskin may have functions not yet recognized or understood.
[ http://www.nocirc.org/publish/pamphlet7.html ]

"Circumcision removes the most sensitive parts of the penis and decreases the fine-touch pressure sensitivity of glans penis. The most sensitive regions in the uncircumcised penis are those parts ablated by circumcision. When compared to the most sensitive area of the circumcised penis, several locations on the uncircumcised penis that are missing from the circumcised penis were significantly more sensitive." Circumcision removes as much as 75% of sensation [ http://www.nocirc.org/touch-test/bju_6685.pdf ].

The foreskin reduces the force required by the penis to enter the vagina while circumcision contributes to vaginal dryness. [ http://www.circumcision.org/studies.htm , http://www.cirp.org/library/sex_function/ ]
The foreskin also increases the sexual enjoyment of the female partner. [ http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/ohara/ ]

Performing circumcision on a child can and does result in the deaths of children due to blood loss and/or failure of the immune system.
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=512542
Approximately 230 American males die every year because of circumcision. [ http://www.sexuallymutilatedchild.org/deathsdo.htm , http://www.cirp.org/library/death/ ] This is a meaningless and very sad loss of life.

It can and does result in very significant scaring.
It can and does result in sexual problems later in life.

Circumcised males have a much higher rate of sexual dysfunction and premature ejaculation. [ http://www.cirp.org/library/sex_function/ ]

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) "there is little evidence to affirm the association between circumcision status and optimal penile hygiene." [ http://www.circumcision.org/aap.htm ]

Hygiene and prevention of disease are among the commonest reasons cited for performing male circumcision. This directory contains references that examine the validity of these claims in detail: http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/





The child should have a right to genital integrity. No one should be allowed to cut them until they are old enough to decide.

Answer 8

It should be illegal. it's not a religious issue, it's a public health issue. It is a barbaric practice that should be condemned. But it won't because Muslim men like virgins and women who don't enjoy sex.

Answer 9

I think it is bad to circumcise both males and females. However I don't think it is akin to cannibalism.

Answer 10

i didtn even know it existed ... how awful.