Apr 15 2009
Female Circumcision in Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdish four-year-old Shwen screams during her circumcision in Suleimaniyah on April 14, 2009. The parliament in Iraq’s northern autonomous region of Kurdistan is preparing to outlaw female circumcision, according to a woman MP and a doctor who had long battled to halt the widespread practice. The German non-government group Wadi carried out research in 201 villages in the autonomous provinces and in the predominantly Kurdish Kirkuk area in September. It found that 3,502 out of 5,628 women and girls surveyed had been mutilated — an average of more than 62 percent. While widespread in the African continent, it is not known how female circumcision was introduced into northern Iraq. The practice, encouraged by some clerics, does not appear to exist in other parts of the country. By Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images. (Thanks to Andrew Sullivan)
14 responses so far
[...] I’m glad you brought up circumcision, because the KRG is working to outlaw this heinous practice: Iraqi Kurdish four-year-old Shwen screams during her circumcision in Suleimaniyah on April 14, 2009. The parliament in Iraq?s northern autonomous region of Kurdistan is preparing to outlaw female circumcision, according to a woman MP and a doctor who had long battled to halt the widespread practice. The German non-government group Wadi carried out research in 201 villages in the autonomous provinces and in the predominantly Kurdish Kirkuk area in September. It found that 3,502 out of 5,628 women and girls surveyed had been mutilated ? an average of more than 62 percent. While widespread in the African continent, it is not known how female circumcision was introduced into northern Iraq. The practice, encouraged by some clerics, does not appear to exist in other parts of the country. By Safin Hamed/AFP/Getty Images. (Thanks to Andrew Sullivan) Source: Edna Hospital of Somaliland Female Circumcision in Kurdistan [...]
How could that person just stand there and take the photo? How could they? As a mother, I would have felt and overwhelming urge to first slap her mother across the face, and ask her WHY, why are you doing this to your baby, who you are supposed to protect from harm? YOU ARE NO MOTHER!!! A mother isn’t just an animal who gives birth, a mother nurtures and protects. A gorilla could do a better job with that child than she! I’d then take that knife from the circumcisers hand and tell her if I ever see her harming another child again, I’ll send her to God for judgment.
I wonder what the screams of 3,502 plus, since we know that there are really thousand more female children and adults that are mutilated, would sound like? How many decibals? Do people know the outcome of this practice? About the constant infections to the bladder and uterus. The odour of urine results in the women being shunded and thrown into isolation, no sanitary means given. Fistulas that weep and cause humiliation and again shunning. This is all done for the male and to prevent women from pleasure during sex which their culture says is taboo for them but not men. Perhaps if the knife was turned the other way changes would occur faster. Perhaps not, there just might be an increase in male genitalia mutilation. It seems that the date is not 2010 but year 10!
I just watch Tyra Banks show,there was 2 women who talked about this..
I’m a mother of 2 kids,girl 5 and a boy 2,I just can’t imagine allowing this to happen to my little girl…
How can a mother,hold your child like that and don’t care?
God made us like that,not for others to take away,because they feel like it,but for us and our husbands to enjoy….Why ruin a child’s or women’s life just to prevent sex before marriage?
That’s why there is books and you as a parent to educate your children about sex…
My wish for 2010 is that this will STOP!
This is wretched, galling agony, and the psychosis level it must take to be able to watch this ritual is just unthinkable. Let me leave you with this thought to ponder, however. Do you think that it is any better for a boy to be mutilated by circumcision? I would like you to look up “Jewish Rabbi Mohel” or Just the word “Mohel, Sucking the blood from a baby penis on Google images.” I hope that this world and all of the violent pedophiles who mutilate children die.
Seems like a reasonable religious practice to me. I don’t see what all the fuss is about. Some sort of numbing agent should be used to help with the pain.
REASONABLE RELIGIOUS PRACTICE ?!!!??? No god would want this for us!!!! This is men trying to control women’s sexuality. Men who agree with this are weak, stupid, and evil!!!! I feel sorry for you because you were raised to be the way that you are. How very sorry I am for you I will pray for all of you.
This is why Eve Ensler works really hard in order to abrogate woman circumcision and protect women rights. It is hard to consider this thing as a part of any “culture”. However, -no offense- the purpose of this article is a little bit vague since showing these things as a part of Islam or Middle Eastern culture became popular nowadays. This thing has nothing to do with Islam, and I actually do not know any Kurd that approves woman circumcision.
I totally agree with Rebekah about controlling men’s controlling women’s sexuality. This is actually a matter of (un)education. Alas; the poor people of this world are being forced to be kept out of education…
P.S: I am not a muslim.
This is an extremely stupid belief, I agree with Jennifer on the fact that how could the mother just stand there and watch their child being mutilated and be able to listen to their child scream it is absurd someone needs to step in and stop this from happaning even if it has to be foreigners that do it, doing this to children is not a belief or tradition or something they have to do, it is CHILD ABUSE and should not be happening, this type of surgery can cause many affects afterwards, even death, how could that mother let her child go through that knowing there is a chance her daughter could die in the process. God has not made women or men for that matter to circumcised, if God intended it to be like that then he would have made man with no genitals, it is the men controlling the womens sexuality, sexuality is a good thing. Jonny i totally disagree, there is little numbing agents out there that they are able to get hold of and even if they did they would have to be under a lot, circumcision would cause extreme pain, especially as the genitals are a sensitive area. If someone wants to have sex before marriage then that is there choice no one has the right to thell them otherwise even if it is their religion, this is not the answer. I hope all thoses sick people out there that think this practice is ok DIE, I hope God does not give them an easy punishment for whet they have done to all these poor women and men.
Here is a follow-up article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/human-rights-watch/iraqi-kurdistan-girls-and_b_614483.html
Female Genital Mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan has been condemned by Human Rights Watch:
“FGM violates women’s and children’s rights, including their rights to life, health, and bodily integrity,” said Nadya Khalife, Middle East women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “It’s time for the regional government to step up to the plate and take concrete actions to eliminate this harmful practice because it simply won’t go away on its own.”
I have a question for Johnny Rocket…if you think that it is no big deal then how would you like your balls to be cut off when you are a kid to prevent pre-marital sex or pregnancy? There is no health or sane reason why they should do this to girls other than take all the pleasure out of having sex and making it extremely painful. Women have gotten infections from this procedure, complications with birth and many times ended in Death because of this pointless procedure. Please let this and all forms of child abuse STOP!
only crazy man can approve and support this. I do not give a **** about Islam, Allah and all their customs and tradition.
While we are all being suitably outraged about FGM, how about we also start to condemn the barbaric “religious” custom of circumcision inflicted on young boys. I am certain I will be shouted down as anti-semetic for mentioning this, however, let us not ignore the cruel procedures being inflicted on boys as well. Isn’t it strange that FGM has been outlawed in most places on Earth, but male circumcision is still an accepted “custom” protected by “religious freedom”.
This practice is about one thing. its about power. few women realize that without good men around, bad men will do what they want. this is why you women should do everything in your power to raise strong good men.