Since 2008, female genital mutilation has been illegal in
Egypt but it is still widely accepted and happening. As of 2008, Unicef
estimated that 91% of married Egypt females between the ages of 15-49 had been
mutilated. In many of the poorer communities of Egypt it is still seen as a
must because it has been practiced for a very long time. Female genital
mutilation can happen during any time in a girl’s life, some are as young as
toddlers and others when puberty is reached. It is a day of celebration for the
family and a lifetime of physical and psychological trauma for the girl. Mansoura
Mohamed, a 33 year-old Egyptian female vividly remembers her experience in the article;
she said it took years to get over the experience. The main reasoning behind
getting young girls cut is to prevent them from leading a promiscuous life,
some believe it is a religious requirement. Although according Mohamed
Suleiman, a political leader in Egypt, says that the practice isn’t recognized
in the Islamic religion. It is now becoming a topic that is talked about at
schools in these smaller communities because of the government’s National
Population Council. An NPC coordinator talks about how the attitude of the
subject has changed, women of all ages are less embarrassed about discussing
their experience or feelings about FGM. A recent conviction of an Egyptian
doctor who was practicing FGM has also greatly impacted this controversy.
Mansoura Mohamed and her husband have chosen not to get their daughter cut and
hope this will become a more common thing in the future.
This might be considered more of a women’s right issue but I
think gender and sex are factors that tie into this subject. Because you are
female in countries like Egypt, you have to be circumcised to prevent
promiscuity. Why don’t males have to go through a similar procedure, because
it’s okay to be promiscuous if you are a male? I think that FGM makes women completely
ashamed of being female and most of the time they have no say in making this
life altering mutilation. Sex can be very painful physically and emotionally
for a woman who has gone through FGM. The pain along with their shamefulness of
being in their own body, I think really kills their sexual desire. The health
hazards alone should make this ancient practice illegal. I hope there is a
happy ending in this controversy for females not only in Egypt but all around
the world.
Ashley Casmirri
2/13/15
11:39 am
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