User:Flynnjed/Sandbox: Difference between revisions

'''Female Genital Mutilation''' (Arabic: ختان المرأة)  is the practice of cutting away and altering the external female genitalia for ritual or religious purposes. Those who practice FGM refer to it as 'Female Circumcision'. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) generally consists one or both of the following procedures: '''Clitoridectomy:''' the amputation of part or all of the clitoris (or the removal of the clitoral prepuce); '''Excision:''' the cutting away of either or both the inner or outer labia. A third procedure, '''Infibulation''', involves the paring back of the outer labia, whose cut edges are then stitched together to form, once healed, a seal that covers both the openings of the vagina and the urethra. Infibulation usually also involves clitoridectomy. Those who engage in FGM consider its primary purpose to be the safeguarding of the purity, virtue and reputation of girls and women.

FGM is a practice associated with Islam: about 80% of FGM is attributable to Muslims.<ref>https://fgmtruth.wordpress.com/what-percentage-of-global-fgm-are-moslems-responsible-for/</ref> Most of the remaining 20% is attributable to non-Muslims living in FGM-practicing Islamic societies (e.g. the Egyptian Copts<ref>https://copticliterature.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/prevalence-of-and-support-for-female-genital-mutilation-within-the-copts-of-egypt-unicef-report-2013/</ref>), or to non-Islamic societies that have been hubs of the Islamic slave trade (e.g. Ethiopia and Eritrea).   

Unlike Islamic male circumcision, the nature of which is uniform around the world, the practice of FGM varies greatly from community to community and country to country. This is because the procedure of male circumcision is precisely described (in Genesis). Several hadith report Muhammad approving of FGM, but they give very few clues as to ''the nature'' of that which he was approving. Consequently the practice of FGM varies greatly from community to community and country to country, possibly according to the intensity of anxieties around female sexuality in the community, its proximity to Islamic slave-trade routes (Infibulation is associated with the transportation of slaves), the presiding school of Islam (fiqh), and the nature and degree of historical Christian influence and colonisation.  

In addition to Islamic law that ''explicitly'' addresses FGM, Islamic law favours FGM by creating social conditions that make the practice useful or even necessary. [[Polygamy in Islamic Law|Polygyny]] (the marriage of a man to several women) is permitted in Islam and creates sexually violent societies in which girls and women are at a heightened risk. In response to this risk polygynous societies develop practices which safeguard the 'purity', chastity and reputation of its girls and women. FGM is such a practice, as are child marriage, gender segregation, arranged marriages, chaperoning, veiling, 'honour' culture, brideprice ([[Mahr (Marital Price)|mahr]]) and footbinding. Islam's attitudes towards slavery, especially sex slavery, appears to also have a significant role in the nature, incidence and distribution of FGM.

There exist numerous fatwas supporting and commanding the practice. However, over the past half century there has been a growing unease in the Islamic world concerning the practice (largely attributable to a growing awareness of the practice by organisations such as the UN and UNICEF). The earliest fatwa that is clearly critical of FGM appears to have been issued in 1984.<ref>p54 [https://books.google.fr/books?id=qof6J4n1860C&pg=PA54&lpg=PA54&dq=Sheikh+Abu-Sabib+1984&source=bl&ots=-apLOOha6B&sig=dpINFFLI-N9KO8_FmEET-MDFKbI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiXh5Gi5OfcAhVOyoUKHeSgDWUQ6AEwC3oECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=Sheikh%20Abu-Sabib%201984&f=false "Sexual Mutilations: A Human Tragedy" By International Symposium On Sexual Mutiliations 199, International Symposium on Sexual Mutiliations 1996]</ref>

The euphemism '''Female Circumcision''' is often used instead of '''Female Genital Mutilation''' by those who practice it, or who wish to defend or excuse it. Those who practice FGM will, of course, not refer to what they do as 'mutilation' - the word having negative connotations. {{Quran|30|30}} forbids mutilation - however Islamic law makes exceptions for mutilations it allows e.g. amputation of limbs of thieves ({{Quran|5|38}}) and male circumcision.     

However, the Qur'an 30:30 requires Muslims to ''<nowiki/>'adhere to the fitrah'<nowiki/>''. The word ''<nowiki/>'fitrah''' appears only this once in the Qur'an, and is left undefined and unexplained.   

{{Quote|{{Quran|30|30}}|So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. '''[Adhere to] the fitrah''' (فطرة or فطرت) of Allah upon which He has created (فطر) [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah . That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.}}To know what fitrah means, traditional scholars turn to the hadith which make use of the word.  

The hadith which offers the clearest explanation is the one mentioned in the previous section.

 

 

 

Thus, according to traditional interpretive methodology, Qur'an 30:30 by requiring one to ''<nowiki/>'adhere to the fitrah''' indirectly, but ineluctably, advocates FGM.

 

''<nowiki/><nowiki/>''

Differences in interpretative hermeneutics (the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of religious and philosophical texts) result in certain Hadith having more weight and influence in some schools than in others. Sunan Abu Dawud 41:5251 is an example of this:

All schools of Islam favour FGM, but with differing levels of enthusiasm. No school of Islam can prohibit FGM since nothing that Muhammad allowed can be prohibited: however, contemporary scholars are adept at phrasing fatwas in such a way as to appear to criticise or condemn FGM whilst at the same time not forbidding it.  

the l of Views on the specific type of FGM required or permitted vary within and between the madhhabs. Some prominent modern Islamic scholars have dissented from the otherwise favorable consensus of the Islamic tradition and ruled it to be unlawful.