Gambia Bans Female Genital Mutilation to “Uphold Religious Loyalty and Safeguard Cultural Norms and Values”

By Asad Mirza, New Age Islam 23 July 2024 Most Girls Are “Circumcised” In This Way In Egypt, Sudan And The Horn Of Africa, In The Muslim Countries Of West Africa, And In Indonesia, Usually Under The Age Of Five. It Is Less Common In The Eastern Arab Countries (Eg, Iraq, Saudi Arabia And Yemen), And Rare In Iran, Turkey And Pakistan, But The Victims Are Overwhelmingly Muslims. So Are The Perpetrators. ------- Representative image from File ------ In a welcome move, MPs in Gambia, recently voted to retain a law outlawing female genital mutilation (FGM), sparking joy and relief among campaigners. The move also reinforces this un-Islamic origin of this practice in Africa and elsewhere. Last week, thirty-four out of 53 Gambian lawmakers voted to maintain the FGM ban, which was introduced in 2015, aid workers told the Guardian. The remainder voted to repeal it. There was certainly an air of jubilation amongst the anti-FGM activists and workers of the world bodies, like the WHO, UNICEF, UN Women who have continuously waged an advocacy campaign against this barbaric practice. Jaha Dukureh, an FGM survivor and founder of Safe Hands for Girls, said: “Today we stood on the right side of history one more time. We have shown that even if they burn down this country, we will rebuild to protect our women and girls. Today, we won for Gambia.” According to the UN, Gambia has the ninth-highest rate of FGM in the world. Almost three-quarters of Gambian women between 15 and 49 have undergone FGM, which involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. Nearly two-thirds of them were cut before the age of five. The bill was tabled in March by Almameh Gibba, who said he did so to “uphold religious loyalty and safeguard cultural norms and values” in the Muslim-majority state. It was initially approved by a majority of MPs, which forced human rights campaigners to intensify lobbying against the move. The law’s repeal was backed by Muslim clerics, who hold much sway in the Gambia, a conservative country of 2.7 million people. The vote was taken following the bill’s second reading after being referred to a parliamentary committee for consultation. A third and final reading had been tabled for next week. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the speaker of parliament, said: “(We) cannot be engaged in such a futile exercise as to allow the bill to proceed to a third reading. The bill is rejected and the legislative process exhausted.” Judy Gitau, coordinator for Equality Now’s Africa office, applauded last Monday’s vote for setting a precedent. She said: “Repealing the FGM law was going to set a new low in the pushback against women’s rights.” While welcoming the move to uphold the law, human rights campaigners warned that more needed to be done to improve the lives of women and girls in the West African country. Binta Ceesay, women’s rights manager at ActionAid Gambia, said: “Since FGM was banned nearly a decade ago, we have made encouraging strides in ending the practice, but it has not been enough.” The World Health Organisation estimates that about 230 million women and girls have undergone this traditional procedure, in which not only the clitoris but often also the inner and outer labia are cut away by a knife or razor, usually without anaesthetics, antiseptics or antibiotics. Infections, some of them fatal, are commonplace. Most girls are “circumcised” in this way in Egypt, Sudan and the Horn of Africa, in the Muslim countries of West Africa, and in Indonesia, usually under the age of five. It is less common in the eastern Arab countries (eg, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and rare in Iran, Turkey and Pakistan, but the victims are overwhelmingly Muslims. So are the perpetrators. This poses a real problem for the anti-FGM campaigners, because most of the people who do this to their girl children are convinced that it is an Islamic practice, or even a religious obligation. It particularly appeals to men who are obsessed about female “chastity”. These attitudes are common even in the farthest reaches of the Islamic world, like the Muslim-minority parts of Russia. When a 2016 report ­revealed the practice is widespread in the mountain villages of Karachayevo-Cherkessia. Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said: “We welcome with great relief the rejection of the bill aimed at reversing the ban on FGM in Gambia. In 2015, the adoption of the Women’s (Amendment) Act, which criminalises and sets out punishments for performing, aiding and abetting the practice of FGM, represented a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to safeguard girls’ and women’s rights. It was essential that this progress be protected.” In a joint statement UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, UNFPA Executive Director, Natalia Kanem, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous, and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk said: “The decision to maintain the FGM ban aligns with The Gambia's international and regional commitments to prevent harmful practices against girls and women, consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and the Maputo Protocol protecting African women’s rights.” Islam and FGM There is no mention of female circumcision in the Holy Qur’an, and only five hadiths (reports of what Prophet Mohammed actually said) refer to it. None of them states that it is a religious duty, and there is no evidence that the Prophet(PBUH) had any of his wives or daughters circumcised. Why do the hadiths mention it at all? “It is as if Islam deemed it necessary to regulate this practice which was already performed by the Arabs prior to the advent of Islam,” suggests Egyptian Islamist scholar Dr Mohamed Selim Al-Awa, founding General Secretary of the International Union of Islamic Scholars. Senior Muslim religious authorities agree that FGM is neither required nor prohibited by Islam. The Qur’an does not mention FGM or male circumcision. FGM is praised in a few hadiths as noble but not required, and moreover the authenticity of these hadith has been questioned. Several Muslim leaders have called for an end to the practice. In 2004, after CNN broadcasted images of a girl in Cairo undergoing FGM, the then Grand Mufti of Egypt Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi declared that hadiths on FGM as unreliable. A conference at Al-Azhar University in Cairo in 2006 saw prominent Muslim clergy declare it unnecessary. Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the then Grand Mufti of Egypt, stated: "It's prohibited, prohibited, prohibited." Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said in 2012 that FGM was “a ritual that has survived over centuries and must be stopped as Islam does not support it.” Indeed, it would be much preferable if international Islamic organisation like the OIC join hands with world bodies like the UNICEF, UN Women etc. to put a complete ban on this inhuman practice in today’s modern world. ------- Asad Mirza is a Delhi-based senior political and international affairs commentator and a media consultant. 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