| Stop Female Circumcision | |
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How much more barbaric can we human beings
behave?! Happily, this disgusting behaviour will soon stop. |
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| Islam Outlaws Female Genital
Mutilation! Islam Outlaws Female Genital Mutilation! SENSATIONAL Resolution of the Scholars' Conference at Azhar University in Cairo on 22 and 23 November, 2006 RAUSDORF, Germany, December 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten of the highest ranked scholars from all over the world met at the Azhar University under the patronage of the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Prof. Dr. Ali Goma'a. After listening to several international physicians, they pronounced the sensational decision to classify the custom of female genital mutilation (FGM) as punishable aggression and crime against humanity. As a result, the custom can no longer be practiced by Muslims. Now awareness of this decision has to be spread in the 33 affected countries. The religous scholars at the conference were the following: Grand Mufti and Patron ofAl-Azhar: Prof. Dr. Ali Goma'a; the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar: Prof. Dr. Mohamed Sayed Tantawi; the Minister of Religion of Egypt: Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Hamdi Zakzouk; Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi from Qatar; Sheikh Hissein Hassan Abkar from Chad; Imam Mahammadou Diallo from Mali; Imam Bal El Bechir from Mauritania; Sheikh Mohamed Darassa from Ethiopia, and Imam Tarafa Baghrajati from Austria. Reports were given by medical experts from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Germany. The German human rights organization had invited "TARGET-Ruediger Nehberg" to this conference. Its two presidents, Ruediger Nehberg and Annette Weber, have been engaged in fighting FGM on location in Africa since 2000. They brought into being a "Pro-Islamic Alliance", because they regard Islam as their strongest partner in ending this cruel tradition with the ethics and the power of Islam. At so-called TARGET desert conferences, they had already been able to achieve great successes in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Mauritania. The conference at the Azhar is the greatest highlight so far. Most of all, it also shows the strong positive forces in Islam. On the "International Day against FGM", ARTE shows a film about the work of TARGET in Africa: "Campaign against a taboo"/"la chose - campagne contre un tabou" 6 February, 07/ARTE/8:40 p.m. Fur further information: TARGET, Germany Annette Weber www.target-human-rights.com contact (at) target-human-rights.com Contact: For further information: TARGET, Germany, Annette Weber, www.target-human-rights.com, contact (at) target-human-rights.com Source: http://www.perssupport.nl/Home/Persberichten/Actueel?itemId=87708 With thanks to Jean Francois |
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| Muslim clerics vs. female
genital mutilation After being introduced to ceremony while travelling in Africa, German human rights activist decides to initiate move to stop custom from spreading. He manages to organize rally of senior Sunni clerics in Egypt, who condemn phenomenon: 'Genital mutilation must be considered criminal aggression against mankind' Gil Yaron ynetnews.com 30 Nov 2006 Are Germans changing the face of Islam? A German human rights activist organized a rally of Islamic clerics in Cairo, which ended with a joint statement by the clerics that female genital mutilation will be considered a crime against humanity. "This is a historic change," Rüdiger Nehberg told Ynet after ensuring that leading Sunni clerics condemn the phenomenon of female genital mutilation. He initiated a conference at the al-Azhar University in Cairo, which ended with a statement issued by 20 clerics: "A Muslim must not hurt a Muslim. Therefore, the genital mutilation must be considered as criminal aggression against mankind." The rally was sponsored by the most esteemed religious establishment among the Sunnis, and was fully supported by the Egyptian Ministry of Religion. University President Sheikh Yusuf al-Qardawi, the most popular Sunni scholar and preacher nowadays, also took part in the event. Every 11 seconds, a woman somewhere in the world undergoes genital mutilation. Thereby, 8,000 women every day fall victim to an ancient custom, which is aimed at "maintaining their morality and ensuring their loyalty," according to Nehberg. About one-third of the girls who undergo the shocking ceremony pass away due to bleedings or infections which develop afterwards. The cruel custom is particularly common in Africa and among Muslim societies. Naturally, it is very difficult to know exactly how many women fall victim to such violence, but the United Nations estimates that approximately 60 percent of women in northern Iraq and about 23 percent of the women of Yemen have experienced the horror. In Africa there is also a common custom in which the entire genitalia is cut off, as opposed to the more common ceremony in which only part of it are cut off. Nehberg explained, "It takes these girls 30 minutes to urinate, and their period lasts for two weeks." When they marry, they husbands are forced to "clear their way" in order to have sexual intercourse or "through cruel sexual intercourse or through the use of a knife." Nehberg, who is not affiliated with any religious group but has positive views on Islam, first encountered the phenomenon when he went on a bicycle ride in Muslim countries. "In the Danakil desert in Ethiopia I was first introduced to a genital mutilation of a girl. I was shocked. They explained to me that religion requires that women be mutilated, but I knew it was not true." Since then, he has been fighting firmly to put an end to the custom. Along with his partner he established a small organization called Target. With the seven members of his organization he has already made a lot of progress on the issue, which leaves the UN efforts far behind. He convinced Sultan Ali Mira, leader of the Sunnis in the Danakil desert, that female genital mutilation contradicts the principles of Islam. "Since that discussion, which was held by the tribe's 60 wise men, there is a duty to report genital mutilation and it has been outlawed," Nehberg explained proudly. 'Opportunity for Islam to portray itself differently' With the help of the German Foreign Ministry, his efforts succeeded in other places as well: In Djibouti, the sheikhs condemned the custom, and in Mauritania he was asked to distribute the new fatwa among the Bedouins with a procession of camels. "We, the Germans, walked with 14 camels in the desert, and distributed 70 flags on which the fatwa was written to make them stop mutilating their daughters' genitalia," Nehberg said. The clerics' ruling has yet to move the Muslim world. "It will take a long time before such an ancient custom disappears," estimated Professor Muhammad Shamaa of the Islamic Research Academy at al-Azhar University. In spite of the firm ruling of important clerics such as al-Qardawi, the solution for the problem is still far. Among the Sunnis there is no central religious establishment which can impose its opinion on the entire public, and therefore the issue remains open to the interpretation of clerics from all factions. Many conferences have been held on the issue in the past, but the clerics have never managed to reach a united front. Prof. Shamaa provided a disappointing explanation why this time, following Nehberg's intiaitve, it succeeded for the first time. "We simply did not invite those who disagree with us," he said. Nehberg was a bit more optimistic: "In the Muslim world there is a huge need to discuss these issues, but there is no culture of discussing sensitive issues. "When someone from the outside asks questions in an honorable and sensitive manner, positive changes can be made. This is an opportunity for Islam to portray itself in a different way, and not in the way it is represented by fanatic terrorists," he said. |
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| Call to end female
circumcision Muslim scholars from around the world have called for female genital mutilation to be banned and those who carry it out to face punishment. BBC Online 24 Nov 2006 At a conference on the subject in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the scholars said governments should enforce existing laws against the practice. Earlier, the top religious authorities in Egypt said religion offered no justification for the procedure. Female genital mutilation is widespread in parts of Africa and the Middle East. It is relatively unknown in most other parts of the Muslim world, including South and South-east Asia, North Africa and Saudi Arabia. Female circumcision typically involves surgically removing the clitoris of a young girl. Parents who support the practice argue that it helps prevent promiscuous behaviour in their daughters. Genital mutilation or female circumcision often robs women of sensitivity in their sexual organs. 'Do not cause harm' The Muslim scholars said female circumcision was an aggression against women and should be stopped. The scholars stressed that Islam forbid people from inflicting harm on others, explaining that those who circumcise their daughters were doing exactly that. The latest declaration was unequivocal and should go a long way towards bolstering campaigns to eradicate the practice in Egypt and elsewhere, says the BBC's Heba Saleh, in Cairo. In recent years, Muslim scholars have spoken out against female genital mutilation, but some had insisted that while it was not required by religion, it was not prohibited. Others said it might be desirable in some cases and that it should be up to the medical profession to decide, our correspondent says. 'Doctors' decision' The conference on the subject in Cairo was organised by a German human rights group, Target, and attracted Islamic clerics from across the world. Earlier, speakers explained there was no religious reason for the practice, but hinted doctors should make any final decision. Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the head of the al-Azhar mosque, Sunni Islam's top authority, told the conference: "From a religious point of view, I don't find anything that says that circumcision is a must [for women]." "In Islam, circumcision is for men only," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying. Ali Gomaa, Egypt's top official Islamic scholar, or grand mufti, told the gathering no examples of the practice could be found in the Prophet Muhammad's life. Another leading cleric, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, said that Islam did not require the practice but some clerics felt it was allowed. |
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| Dad sentenced in first female
genital cutting trial in U.S. An Ethiopian immigrant was convicted Wednesday of the genital mutilation of his 2-year-old daughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison in what was believed to be the first such criminal case in the United States. LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia Nov 2, 2006 Khalid Adem, 30, was found guilty of aggravated battery and cruelty to children. Prosecutors said he used scissors to remove his daughter's clitoris in his family's Atlanta-area apartment in 2001. The child's mother, Fortunate Adem, said she did not discover it until more than a year later. Adem, who had no criminal record, could have been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison. He held his face in his hands and wept loudly after the jury's verdict was read. (Watch how the verdict was reached, delivered -- 1:19) During her father's trial, the girl, now 7, clutched a teddy bear as she testified on videotape that her father "cut me on my private part." Federal law specifically bans the practice of genital mutilation, but many states do not have a law addressing it. Georgia lawmakers, with the support of the girl's mother, passed an anti-mutilation law last year. But Adem was not tried under that law since it did not exist when his daughter was cut. During the trial, Adem testified he never circumcised his daughter or asked anyone else to do so. He said he grew up in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and considers the practice more prevalent in rural areas. Adem's attorney acknowledged that the girl had been cut, but implied that the family of the girl's mother, who immigrated from South Africa, may have been responsible. The Adems divorced three years ago, and attorney Mark Hill suggested that the couple's daughter was coached to testify against her father by her mother, who has full custody of the child. Adem, who cried throughout the trial and during his testimony, was asked what he thought of someone who believes in the practice. He replied: "The word I can say is 'mind in the gutter.' He is a moron." The practice crosses ethnic and cultural lines and is not tied to a particular religion. Activists say it is intended to deny women sexual pleasure. In its most extreme form, the clitoris and parts of the labia are removed and the labia that remain are stitched together. Since 2001, the State Department estimates that up to 130 million women worldwide have undergone circumcision. Knives, razors or even sharp stones are usually used, according to a 2001 department report. The tools are frequently not sterilized, and often, many girls are circumcised at the same ceremony, leading to infection. It is unknown how many girls have died from the procedure, either during the cutting or from infections, or years later in childbirth. Nightmares, depression, shock and feelings of betrayal are common psychological side effects, according to a 2001 federal report. |
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