Swedish Imam says Islam forbids female circumcision

Rueters Alertnet ^ | STOCKHOLM, Nov 10 | By Patrick McLoughlin

[Helms]

10 Nov 2003 17:26:57 GMT Swedish Imam says Islam forbids female circumcision

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By Patrick McLoughlin

STOCKHOLM, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Female circumcision, or female genital mutilation, is forbidden under Islam, a dominant religion in countries where it is practised, a leading Swedish Muslim leader told an international conference on Monday.

Two million girls are circumcised each year, 130 million women in 30 countries have already been mutilated in this way, and campaigners said they hoped the cleric's comments would help stop the practice by making clear it had no basis in religion.

"I as Imam would like, with my colleagues, to turn to the Islamic world, particularly in Africa, and inform people that female genital mutilation is prohibited," said Sheik Omar Ahmed.

"It is a matter of abuse and violation of the female body and is quite clearly forbidden according to Islam," he told delegates from 13 African countries, Sweden and international bodies such as the World Health Organisation.

Imams, whose role as mosque prayer leaders gives them great influence in Muslim communities, differ in their interpretation of Muslim teachings.

Mohammed Sayed Tantawi, grand sheikh of Cairo's prestigious al-Azhar mosque, told a June conference on the practice in Egypt that the Koran did not demand or even mention female circumcision. Delegates at that conference said his remarks would help the Africa-wide campaign against the practice.

In some African countries, including Egypt, Somalia and Ethiopa, cutting off the clitoris and other parts of the external genitalia is an ancient tradition that persists despite a widespread ban. In Eritrea 95 percent of women have been circumcised, according to the U.N. Children's Fund.

For communities which practise female circumcision it is a rite of passage to womanhood which, by reducing sex drive, also limits promiscuity. It is sometimes carried out by a doctor but more often by a relative or local "healer" using a razor blade.

Sweden staged the two-day conference to coordinate action against genital mutilation in its own immigrant community and overseas, with the aim of total eradication by 2010.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SCARS

The Swedish Imam said female circumcision dated from Pharaonic times in Egypt but caused pain and infection and led to diminished sexual feeling, causing mental problems.

Experts say it leaves women physically and emotionally scarred and can cause infertility, incontinence and pain during intercourse. When carried out with unsterilised blades it can cause death by haemorrhage, blood poisoning or urine retention.

Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds told Reuters on the sidelines of the conference that the Imam's remarks were significant in the fight against a brutal practice.

"Many people think this is a religious practice and it's important that people with authority -- like an Imam -- tell people this is not right," she said.

"This has no basis in religion, full stop. It's not a matter for discussion," Sweden's special ambassador for human rights, Ulla Strom, told Reuters. "We had this very clear statement from the Imam and it's going to be difficult for other Imams to challenge it."

A major conference on genital mutilation in Addis Ababa proposed adopting February 6 as an international day for the war against female circumcision.

"We shall push hard on how to coordinate between migrants in Europe and communities in Africa to create awareness that things are changing," said Linah Kilimo, Kenyan Minister of State.

[DustyMoment]

The problem I find with this article starts at the very beginning - the Imam is in SWEDEN!!!

When is Europe going to wise up and boot these evil vermin out of their country?

[thinktwice]

Those that allow irratioal thought to guide their lives, end up with irrational nuts proclaiming what is right and wrong.

Every human has the ability to perceive, to think, to apply reason to every perception -- to know what is right and wrong. It is called "common sense."

[tomakaze]

re:The problem I find with this article starts at the very beginning - the Imam is in SWEDEN!!!
 
No kidding! that threw me too.

"Allah Ak-de-bar bjork bjork bjork!"

[Unam Sanctam]

Great! Now if it would only condemn rather than extol suicide bombing.

[steve-b]

the Imam is in SWEDEN!!!

Well, if he were in an Islamic-dominated country (except Turkey and maybe Malaysia or Indonesia) and made this statement, I wouldn't write him a life insurance policy at any price.

[Moose4]

Swedish imam...one of these things is not like the other.

I expected to see the quote was from Hjalmar Akmed al-Lutefisk.

Bork bork bork, infidel. (Allah akbork?)

}:-)4

[thinktwice]

Turkey and maybe Malaysia or Indonesia

Forty years ago, Iran would be on your list.

"Free" nations stand on a loss of freedom precipice that can collapse into dictatorship -- ending freedom -- far too easily.

[DustyMoment]

Too funny!! Good point!

[tomakaze]

re: Allah akbork?
 
bahahahahahahahah!
good one. :-)

[DustyMoment]

What a GREAT reply!!!

Take two pats on the back out of petty cash and the rest of the day off!!

I howled!!!

[Sam Cree]

Kind of like there's no such thing as the income tax?

[aristotleman]

I once dated a girl in college whose roommate had been a victim of female circumcision as a child, as well as genital stitching (to save her from desire).

The poor woman was dreadfully depressed and anxious all the time. Her womanhood had been robbed and there was nothing she could do about it. It's the most horrible thing you can imagine, still practiced in certain african regions.

Islam needs modernization of their doctrine. Such a change can only take place in an environment where the power of religion loses it's grip, like in post-mediaeval Europe.

I know many of us on FR are decent, religious people, who mourn the secularization of our culture. There are benefits to that however. Secularization, to some extend, purges a society of the downsides of extreme religious doctrine. The gift of the renaissance to the West, was eventual tolerance for others, humanistic ideals, and freedom of expression. It has gone too far of course -it's only human to swing in extreme ways-, but it's not so bad.

Islam needs enlightened people like this Imam in Sweden, people who have left the influence of the homeland and pursued new ideas. Just like the European cross migration in the middle ages brought about religious reform.

The current climate of terrorism will eventually cause the intellectuals and liberals of islam to turn against fundamentalism. The terrorists will lose, and Islam will emerge as a more enlightened and tolerant entity.

The fundamentalists will implode because they can't keep fooling their own people (most of them decent fold) that they are killing them for their own good.

In fact, if Al-Qaeda were to take hold of a muslim country in the near future, impose strict islamic law, tyranny, and oppression, the backlash would come about faster.

Muslims will figure it out.

[CalvaryJohn]

It's fatwah time for the Swedish Imam. Better call Salman for hideout info.

[sheik yerbouty]

They won't . they have a death wish.

[MontanaBeth]

Calling this "female circumcision" is like calling beheading a haircut. The religion of piece(s).

[steve-b]

I know many of us on FR are decent, religious people, who mourn the secularization of our culture. There are benefits to that however. Secularization, to some extend, purges a society of the downsides of extreme religious doctrine. The gift of the renaissance to the West, was eventual tolerance for others, humanistic ideals, and freedom of expression. It has gone too far of course -it's only human to swing in extreme ways-, but it's not so bad.

Secularization of the culture has its good points and bad points. Secularization of the state is a more clearcut case of a Good Thing. The catch is that the former is usually necessary to get to the latter (unless you have it imposed by a strongman, a la Ataturk).

[aristotleman]

Well said.

On the point of strongmen: They don't exist anymore.
Men of power nowadays only look after themselves and their bank accounts. Ataturk was looking after the future of his people, even though he also personally gained. You could argue that change in Islamic Turkey was brought about by force, and that Ataturk was responsible for certain attrocities. But the result was good. if Turkey had stayed in the post-ottoman void, the danger to its neighbors would have been greater in the long run.

The middle east lacks a leader of similar vision. That is because of oil and the power that comes with it. It clouds the minds of potential strongmen, who only view power as a means of furthering their own goals and those of their clan's.

If the muslim intellectuals rise to the challenge and face the grave consequences of speaking out, change will follow. Many muslims are suffering from a self-imposed illusion, stemming from the belief that fate cannot be altered and that their plight is to be blamed on outside factors only.

Theocracy has never done a people any good, when it is combined with hatred. This has to change.

[MetalHeadConservative35]

The problem I find with this article starts at the very beginning - the Imam is in SWEDEN!!!

yea really...the only 2 good things to come outta sweden is their hockey players (thank god for nick lidstrom) and there bands (swedish death metal is awesome screw american mainstream)

[Prime Choice]

"Allah Ak-de-bar bjork bjork bjork!"

*choke* *gasp* BWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! *coffee flying everywhere*