May 23 2010
Ayaan Hirsi Ali on FGM Compromise
The author, and former member of The Netherlands parliament, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, has weighed in on the proposed compromise on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
While the American Academy of Pediatrics agrees that FGM serves no medical purpose, it argues that the current federal law has had the unintended consequence of driving some families to take their daughters to other countries to undergo mutilation. The pediatricians say that “it might be more effective if federal and state laws enabled pediatricians to reach out to families by offering a ritual nick as a possible compromise to avoid greater harm.”
But is this plausible? I fear not.
I am familiar with this debate in two ways. First, I come from a culture where virtually every woman has undergone genital cutting. I was 5 years old when mine were cut and sewn. Second, while serving as a member of parliament in the Netherlands, I was assigned the portfolio for the emancipation and integration of immigrant women. One of my missions was to combat practices such as FGM.
Read the full article at The Daily Beast: Why Are American Doctors Mutilating Girls? by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
One response so far
for a somalian who lived and continue to live in a western community.the issue of women circumcesion.its a slap on the face of any culture.and we should not be mistaken between culture and religion.
This practice of women mutilation was a common culture in many of african nation, and sadly it continue to be.but we should not take it into the faith of islam or indeed christinaity.as it is clear .that islam condem this practice.and there is no vrese in the quran which support this brutsl ritual.
But unfortuantly there are some people who are looking for cheap insult with no basis like ayan……