Female circumcision is found predominantly in East Africa, particularly in Egypt and along the Nile, and across a belt of central Africa. Female circumcision is not analogous to male circumcision in purpose, physiological or psychological characteristics, and is therefore more precisely known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
FGC incorporates a number of different surgeries that include some or all of the following:
- incising and removing the clitoral hood
- removing the complete clitoris,
- removing the labia major
- removing the labia minor
- infibulations which narrow the vaginal orifice
FGC can also include producing bleeding, piercing, scraping, scarring, burning and cauterizing the female genitals. This is more likely found in remote regions.
Countries with FGC
Today, FGC is found most prominently in Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Mali. It is found down the Nile countries of East Africa to Tanzania, and It stretches from Senegal in West Africa to the coast of East Africa (see map). It is also found in some of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, in northern Arabia, in southern Jordan and in Kurdistan of Northern Iraq. While not a practice among the Arabs of Iraq, it is not known why it has been practiced among the Kurds of the North. FMG is also seen in South America and in Asian countries such as Indonesia. Immigrant peoples from Africa also have practiced this procedure throughout the world.
Why Practice FGC?
Local peoples have several purposes and reasons for performing these surgeries even though they have been outlawed in most countries:
- It keeps the young girl from becoming a sexual being
- The female circumcision is considered by the locals to be sanctioned by Islam
- The circumcised girl is believed to be pure, an uncircumcised girl is considered haram (not legal in Islam) and perhaps even considered a prostitute
- It makes the girl marriageable, men demand a young circumcised wife
- In spite of being illegal, there is great cultural pressure to continue the practice of FGC
At the Razor’s Edge, Performing FGC
Usually, the procedure is performed by midwives or other women who specialize in the practice in the village or nearby. The girl is often lured into a room where she is promised good things for her cooperation, tied up, then cut up without anesthetics or sterilization of tools or parts of the body. An old dull razor blade, knife, or even a sharp piece of glass is used in the poorer areas. Urban girls of better economic means may be able to go to a nurse or physician for the procedure.
Consequential Complications
As a result of the surgeries, the girl may experience infection, difficulty with urinating or expelling menstrual blood, lack of sexual pleasure and improbability of orgasm when married, and decreased ability to become pregnant. Excessive bleeding and death is also a common result.
In some cases the girl's legs are bound after the surgery to try and enable healing of the area.
History of FGC
The custom of female circumcision predates Islam and Christianity. FGC is thought to have had its origins in ancient Egypt and the Nile Valley at the time of the Pharaohs. The Naga-ed-Der Stelae of the First Intermediate Period in the 3rd millenium B.C.E., Herodotus in the 5th century B.C.E., and Agatharchides of Cnidus of the 2nd century B.C. E., all tell about female circumcision among the peoples of ancient Egypt. Evidence of female circumcision has been found on female mummies, the earliest known cases in the world.
A theory of the ancient Egyptian origin of the practice is the premise of a belief at the time of the Pharaohs in the sexual duality of the soul. The Egyptians would have believed in the need to excise the feminine from the male genitals and the masculine from the female genitals. This was necessary for the sexual health and development of the individual.
While not mentioned in the Qur’an and not an Islamic practice, it continued on in many Muslim communities as an old cultural remnant of the pre-Islamic culture. Becoming syncretized with Islamic culture, female circumcision was then transported to several other areas where Islam was adopted. FGC is also practiced among non-Muslim groups.
Unaware of any possible ancient Egyptian origins or meaning behind the practice, many consider an uncircumcised girl to be masculine. While outlawed in most countries today, the practice continues on due to lack of education and cultural persistence.
Sources:
El-Gibaly,Omaima “The Decline of Female Circumcision in Egypt::Evidence and Interpretation” Population Council (1999) Accessed Jan. 25, 2010
El Saadawi, Nawal The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World Zed Books (1980)
Lightfoot-Klein, Hanny Children's Genitals Under The Knife: Social Imperatives, Secrecy, And Shame Nunzio Press (2008)
World Health Organization (WHO). "Female Genital Mutilation," who.org Accessed Jan 26 2010
Paula I. Nielson - Paula I. Nielson, Ph.D., holds credentials and interests in anthropology, archaeology, religion, the Middle East and Asia.
