The Curious case of Sunni FGM | Rabab Kamal

Rabab Kamal

Egypt has been battling Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) for decades, the biggest challenge remained the silence of the media for years, the  silence was deafening,  because how can one battle the mutilation of more than 90 % of the female population without blowing the whistle on the brutal practice ? How can we conduct awareness campaigns amidst the deadly Silence

I have been working as a Radio Announcer  for more than 10  years  , and I recall how the media censored  FGM reports , even before that

 When I aired a documentary about FGM titled :Zero Tolerance: Against the cutting knife on the 5^th of August 2016 , I realized that we are experiencing change , even if this so- called change is a drop of light in the ocean of darkness , simply because this documentary aired on state Radi

Things  did not go smoothly indeed , a fellow announcer called in the administration , denouncing the content of the documentary , especially the desperate cries of a young  10  year old who was apparently screaming her lungs out because of her  incredible  pain during FGM , her family was by her bedside grinning at her ordeal

The denouncement made by  my Colleague must bring to our minds the problem of some of the elite and the intellects of  Egypt , and how they unknowingly harbored radical views , just because they believed  that talking about  the practice  is more shameful than the practice itself . Luckily, the administration of Radio Cairo  supported the Anti FGM message delivered in the documentary

This is Just  one  single documentary among hundreds of Adds , articles and programs that are now dealing – head on – with the practice , in both traditional and social media

This did not come out of the blue , in fact FGM was outlawed In 2008 according to  Article 242 of the Penal Code . The media can now speak openly about curbing the procedure and eliminating it

44 years earlier , Dr Nawal El Sadawi who is one of the most outspoken feminists in Egypt and the middle east , lost her Job as a doctor in the ministry of Health , for writing  a book titled women and sex , published in 1972

In this book she tackled the severe repercussions of FGM, physically, mentally and psychologically on women. Sadawi was stepping on the society‘s conservative toes

Ironically in 2016 , state television is broadcasting  Adds about  the dangers of FGM and moreover about the lost Sexual desire of women during sex, and how it can ruin marital bliss !! Times are certainly changing

Nevertheless , the biggest challenge against FGM nowadays is definitely not media censorship by the state , but rather the embedded culture of performing  FGM in a so- called religious conservative society

Anti FGM campaigners reiterate that FGM is not ordained by Islam, this concept is based upon a few aspects such as

 FGM is not practiced in Saudi Arabia , the birth place of Islam

FGM has been practiced in Africa for centuries

FGM is a practice older than Islam itself

Some Christians too are subjected to FGM

FGM was denied by Al Azhar , proclaimed as a moderate religious institution

In fact , there are  not enough reliable Statistics regarding FGM in Saudi Arabia  , most of the information gathered from inside the kingdom  is  more like anecdotes rather than tangible evidence about the prevalence of  the practice , there is a big difference between  stating that Saudi Arabia is clear Of FGM and between the lack of credible statistics . Even if The practice is not as commonly performed as it is in Egypt , that still does not proof it is  banned in Saudi Arabia  on the basis of  religious views . On the contrary , some very popular  Saudi religious scholars like Sheikh Mohamed Al-Arefe – a professor of theology at King Saud university who already has 8 million followers  on twitter –  stated  on the 3^rd of February 2014 that FGM is a noble act for women , he said  that the problem is  not FGM but the problem is rather  cutting too much

 Cutting little not much, is a theory known as the Sunni FGM, which encourages   the removal of the Prepuce of the clitoris only. A theory that is equivalent to promoting the amputation of one’s leg beneath the knee  rather than above it , as  medically correct for healthy people

Indeed FGM has its roots in Africa and indeed it was practiced long before Islam , and definitely  it is practiced among some Christians  as well in Egypt  on the basis of   traditionally   preserving chastity , and  Surely  Al Azhar decreed  that  FGM is NOT an Islamic ritual  in 2007  , and there is no doubt it was criminalized by the Egyptian government in 2008 and penalties have toughened in 2016 , but yet that does not necessarily end the controversy  of the Sunni FGM promoted by the public  and some religious scholars  as an Islamic ordainment for women

The Controversy of FGM  Within Al Azhar

Promoting the Sunni FGM was thought to be an act of the hardliners or the Salafis but actually there were voices supporting FGM  inside Al Azhar Itself , the highest authority in the Sunni Islamic thought and Jurisprudence and  the official religious institution of the Egyptian state

In 1994, the Egyptian government was steadily moving towards denouncing FGM , the government  was Challenged  by The Grand Imam of Al Azhar , Sheikh Gad El Haque Ali ( 1982-1996) , The matrimony between Al Azhar and the state became turbulent over the matter of FGM

 Grand Imam Gad El Haque disapproved any trials to criminalize the practice,  stating it is an Islamic  ritual and a must-do procedure for women , he publicly endorsed the Sunni FGM . The Fatwa was an embarrassment to the state  that was trying at the time   to adopt a civil approach towards the issue internationally . This Fatwa was delivered during what is known in contemporary history  as “ The years of  Islamic revival” . The Grand imam was not standing alone , a number of religious scholars From Al Azhar supported his cause

The government & Al AZhar : The Honeymoon years

 When president Gamal Abdel Nasser  ( 1954- 1970 ) issued a presidential decree  to reorganize Al Azhar, the latter turned into a political tool used by the authority , it promoted Islamic socialism in the 1960’s and promoted capitalism in the 1970’s during the time of president Sadat ( 1971- 1981 ) . Al Azhar promoted war against Israel prior to the 1973 Arab Israeli war and promoted peace with Israel in 1978 . Therefore Al Azhar  was the religious institution of the state that legitimized  the  policies of the government  with   blessings  from the heavens above

The Power of Al Azhar was  emerging in the 1990’s  , The government was keen not to provoke Al Azhar at the time Over the Matter of FGM , Because Al Azhar was supporting the government in its fight against the jihadists who wanted to overthrow President Mubarak ( 1981-2011)  and declare Egypt as a fully  theocratic regime

The Egyptian state was caught between the hammer and the anvil , the hammer of international pressure and the anvil of religious scholars during the years of Islamic  revival . It took the government 13 years to push for Al Azhar’s denouncement of FGM

At the time , Al Azhar had a new Grand Imam , Sheikh  Muhammad Sayed  Tantawy , he was bold enough to denounce FGM on National TV in 2007 , he was attacked by his colleagues in Al Azhar severely but he stood his ground. Al Azhar Proclaimed FGM as “Haram” or a sin

The Islamic controversy was caused by several Hadiths Narrated by  the Prophet of Islam  , The arguments that aroused among Scholars were based on whether the Hadiths were authentic  or weak

The Hadith  ( sayings and teachings of prophet Muhammad ) is one of the pillars  of Sharia Law . Egypt adopted Sharia Law as one of the sources of legislation in the 1971 constitution then adopted sharia law as the main source of legislation in 1980 .The Sharia Law article ( Article 2 ) remained in the 2014 constitution . Every Law ever since must be consistent with Sharia Law , including laws recognizing women’s rights

The Government alongside NGOs working on the matter of FGM understand that  religion plays a pivotal role in the lives of average Egyptians  , and anti FGM awareness campaigns constantly resort to religious views condemning FGM

For decades we have dealt with FGM as a problem caused by radical scholars endorsing and preaching the practice  ,  for years we have tried to combat FGM performed by Hygienic local barbers  , but now there is another dangerous component and that is the Medicalization of FGM in Egypt

Trained Medical doctors perform 75% of FGM operations. According to Egypt’s Demographic and Health survey , the root causes behind medical Practitioners’ performing FGM includes supplementing their income and their belief that it is a religious requirement

Radical  views adopted by doctors could be the gravest danger against anti FGM Campaigns , prominent doctors are even endorsing Sunni FGM publicly ,  such as Dr. Heba Qotb who insists that the pharonic FGM (The removal of the whole Clitoris and The labia ) is a sin but the Sunni FGM ( The removal of the prepuce of the clitoris ) is not a sin , it is rather healthy for women she claims

The term Pharonic FGM  might be misleading though  , Salima Ikram a professor of Egyptology in the American  university of  Cairo says  “Male circumcision was known as far as early as the old kingdom -3rd millennium BC- but Female circumcision  was not a common practice in ancient Egypt. There is no physical evidence in mummies, neither there is anything in the art or literature that indicates its practice on women. It probably originated in sub-saharan Africa, and was adopted in Egypt  later on”.

Joining Dr Heba Qotb in her claims that Sunni FGM is not harmful,  is DR  Ahmed EL Tahawy , a  Doctor and member of the Egyptian  Parliament who  criticized  the efforts to  toughen penalties against doctors performing FGM , he stated that FGM is an Islamic requirement for women . He apologized later on and said he found a religious fatwa that denounced FGM

Dr Qotb and Dr Tahawy are not exceptions among medical practitioners in Egypt and this is the curious case of the sunni FGM , How can   Doctors  derive their medical views from 1400 year old Hadith and  Jurisprudence  instead Medicine and science ?   How can doctors that have spent seven years studying anatomy endorse  teachings that amputate female genital  organs ?  How can their slogan be “ cut off little but  not too much”? They are supposed to be doctors not butchers

Dr Qotb and Dr Tahawy are promoting  Islamic Medicine , or Medicine that does not contradict Islamic teachings , the consequences are dire in a society that is battling ignorance . Separating Science and religion seems to be as  essential as calls for separating politics and religion

In the midst of such practices , the 2016 FGM law was approved by the Egyptian parliament , FGM practitioners might   receive a 7 year prison term if convicted

Toughening the penalty is a must,  in order to curb the practice,  but awareness campaigns addressing the mindset of people and doctors performing FGM  is the biggest challenge of all because cutting Off little not too much is still a crime