No blog yesterday due to technical difficulties, so today I will blog about yesterday's NYT story: In Egypt, a rising push against genital cutting.
The article opens with a heartbreaking story about a young girl who died after having her clitoris removed. The government shut down the clinic, a move that was greeted with outrage -- by those who support genital mutilation.
According to the Times: Egypt’s Health Ministry ordered an end to the practice in 1996 but allowed exceptions in cases of emergency.
I am trying very hard to fathom exactly what kind of emergency might require the removal of a young girl's genitals and I must say, I'm drawing a blank.
Things are looking up -- though certainly not for the girls who've already been subjected to the practice -- because Egypt's health minister has now issued a decree banning anyone from conducting the procedure for any reason. Beyond that, the Ministry of Religious Affairs also issued a booklet explaining why the practice was not called for in Islam; Egypt’s grand mufti, Ali Gomaa, declared it haram, or prohibited by Islam; Egypt’s highest religious official, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, called it harmful; television advertisements have been shown on state channels to discourage it; and a national hot line was set up to answer the public’s questions about genital cutting.
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