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The Circumcision between religion and science

Updated: Nov 16



The Circumcision of a newborn:

cutting off part of his genitals.

Circumcision is the cutting of the foreskin (the head of the penis), and circumcision may refer to the same place that is cut off, and from it they say that if the two circumcisions meet, they must perform ghusl and dowry.

in men

Cut the foreskin lashes

in women

Cut some high lashes overlooking the vulva

The Scientific description of female circumcision

Female genital mutilation or circumcision, or what is known as the legal Sunni circumcision of girl, prepucectomy is the process of cutting the skin of the foreskin that covers the head of the clitoris only for those in need of circumcision, this type of circumcision was not prohibited by the World Health Organization (WHO), There is an explicit definition of it in some of the organization's previously published books. However, in recent years, this circumcision has been combined with the first type (Type I) of female genital mutilation (FGM), under the pretext that its practice by Muslims is incorrect.

As for what is called female genital mutilation or pharaonic circumcision, it is divided into four types: It is the amputation or removal of part of the female genital organs, Complete or partial removal, for cultural, religious or other reasons. The United Nations declared February 6 as the "International Day for the Rejection of Female Genital Mutilation".

The World Health Organization found in 2008 (pp. 5-7) the reasons for this operation

customs and traditions

religious requirements

Cleansing

family honour

Cleanliness

aesthetics

Virginity protection

Increase the sexual pleasure of the husband

Giving a sense of belonging to a group

Enhance fertility and increase chances of marriage

However, these reasons do not necessarily mitigate the negative effects of FGM.

Explain the process of female circumcision and its types

FGM is classified into four main types.

Cut off the clitoris

Partial or complete removal of the clitoris (the clitoris is a small, sensitive, and protruding part of the female genital organ) and, in very rare cases, only the foreskin (the fold of skin that surrounds the clitoris) is removed.

excision

Total or partial removal of the clitoris and labia minora, with or without removal of the labia majora (the labia is the outer skin fold of the vagina).

incisional excision

Narrowing of the vaginal orifice by making a hood tamponade. The tamponade is formed by cutting and repositioning the inner or outer labia, with or without excision of the clitoris.

all other practices

All other harmful procedures performed on the female genital organs for non-medical reasons, such as pricking, piercing, incision, scraping and cauterization of these organs.

The opinions of some Muslim sheikhs and doctors
Sheikh Al-Qaradawi explained

The reduction is legitimate for those who need circumcision, and this is known through a Muslim doctor, who has experience in female circumcision, Al-Qaradawi said that the prohibition of female genital mutilation is in the case of transcending sexuality to exhaustion, that is, extirpation and exaggeration in cutting, which deprive women of legitimate pleasure without justification, which is represented in what they call (the Pharaonic lower), or that this circumcision is practiced by ignorant midwives and the likes of them, rather, it must be done by trusted, specialized female doctors, if it is not possible for a trusted Muslim doctor to do that when necessary, and that the tools used are sterile and sound, It is suitable for the required operation, and the place is suitable, such as clinics, hospitals and health centers. It is not permissible to use primitive tools in a primitive way, as happens in the countryside and the like.

Dr. added. Amal Ahmed Al-Bashir

The correct steps in legal circumcision for those in need do not constitute any danger, and she explained that the steps begin with preparing the child psychologically, choosing the appropriate time for the girl child and making sure that there are no cases of hereditary bleeding in the family, and also that there are no congenital deformities in the child’s genitals, and it must be with sterile equipment, using ethanol solutions, using local anesthesia (1% lidocaine) with a small syringe (Hypodermic needle), and then removing the surface and inner layer of the foreskin, without cutting off the head of the clitoris or any of the skin of the body of the clitoris, it ends with cleanliness, wiping Vaseline, applying cotton, taking into account not leaving an opportunity for adhesions to occur, and following up on cleaning the wound in the following days with soap and water or water and salt.

And she says too

That medical organizations and social studies have not demonstrated any risks of reduction and that legal "reduction" circumcision was not prohibited by the World Health Organization (WHO). He found an explicit definition in some of the previously published books of the organization. But in recent years, this circumcision was combined with the first type (Type I) of female genital mutilation (FGM), under the pretext that it is not practiced by Muslims. Amal Ahmed Al-Bashir in a study entitled "Female Circumcision in Medicine and Islam, Between Excess and Negligence, according to medical and social studies, the war against circumcision has no valid medical basis, and in a Western study, doctors and specialists declared that there is no evidence indicating the dangers of circumcision, and that some studies produce conflicting results that cannot be determined with certainty, and that some studies indicate that there are benefits in circumcision.

Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Bar mentioned

He prefers to use anatomical medical methods, which have been proven to be the best and the most remote from complications

Dr. Fathia Hassan Mirghani mentioned

That the war against circumcision aims to war against male circumcision in the future, and that it is under the pretext that there is no interest in changing God's creation, and calls have become popular and supported even by some in the Islamic world

Dr. Set Al-Banat, Khaled Mohamed Ali, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist, published it

A study on circumcision and the work of non-governmental association committees held by the United Nations on family, women, children, population and housing, the Population and Development Conference held in Cairo in 1994, and the Fourth Conference on Women held in Beijing, In September 1995 AD and the Second Human Settlements Conference held in Istanbul in June 1996 AD, at the twenty-third session of the United Nations held in New York, the doctor mentioned that the work of the committees aimed at combating circumcision has ideological and social concepts as well, and among its objectives are:

1 - - Avoiding early marriage

2 - Advocating Western concepts of freedom and equality

3 - Elimination of innate differences between men and women

4- Spreading the habits of public speaking about private parts

5 - Opening the door to forbidden relationships

6 - Work to spread contraceptive methods among adolescents

7 - Claims to legalize abortion

8 - Permissibility of adultery, incest and extramarital relations

9 - birth control

10- Raising the minimum age for marriage

11- Spreading the culture of mixing, and promoting what is called safe sex by publishing videos, pornography and temptation under the pretext of fighting AIDS.

12- Lifting the guardianship of parents over their children

13 - Cancellation of inheritance

14 - Abolition of the guardianship of fathers over children and women

15 - Poisoning the thoughts of youth

16 - Many concepts and customs that do not fit the religious and social values in Islamic and Arab countries

Dr. Set Al banat mentioned

That the increase in the size and length of the foreskin leads to infections and causes sensitivity in the clitoris and pain when touching it, and causes bacteria to multiply in urinary urination and accumulations in the smegma, and that adhesions in the foreskin can lead to infections due to a lack of estrogen, especially in the category of girls in the ages of pre-puberty and adulthood. It also leads to a lack of sexual libido, because the foreskin pushes the clitoris inward, and the intensity of sexual arousal is a result of a lot of sensitivity and touching, and it leads to involuntary urination and can lead to some cases of depression and lymphoma, and if there is no desire, the person will be attached to inanimate objects, then circumcision refines him, and that is why you find that uncircumcised men and women are not satisfied with sexual intercourse, and cutting the foreskin saves a person from fatty secretions and seborrhea.

In a memorandum submitted by the Muslim World League and His Excellency the Secretary General of the Muslim World League

Dr.Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Obaid

In it, he reviewed objections to some of the programs that contain bad ideas and destructive principles that are dangerous to humanity in general and to developing countries in particular, and Islamic ones in particular. in the United Nations program.

The statement of the Supreme Sharia Committee of the Egyptian Dar Al Iftaa

That “female circumcision” in the form and manner in which it is currently performed is usually forbidden by Sharia, and that is because modern medicine has proven it with absolute and certainty, with its many physical and psychological harms to the female, where female circumcision or circumcision is by cutting off part of her body, without justification or necessity, it is prohibited by Sharia. And Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Mufti of Egypt, issued an official statement prohibiting female genital mutilation, and considering it just a habit that has nothing to do with Islam from near or far.

Al-Nawawi said

Circumcision in women: Cutting the lowest part of the skin at the top of the vulva, which is above the outlet for urine, similar to the crest of a rooster.

Al-Hafiz Al-Iraqi said

Circumcision is the cutting of the foreskin that covers the glans of a man, and the cutting of some of the skin that is at the top of the vagina of a woman.

And Sheikh Muhammad Nasser Al-Din Al-Albani said

I know that circumcision of women was known to the predecessors, contrary to what those who have no knowledge think

The Mufti of Al-Azhar said

The circumcision of girls is from the Sunnahs of Islam and its method should not be neglected, Rather, care must be taken to circumcise them in the manner and description that the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, taught Umm Habiba, It should be kept away from circumcised women who do not improve this work. God Almighty has entrusted the affairs of the children to their parents and guardians. Whoever turns away from him is a waste of the trust entrusted to him.

Ibn Baz said

Circumcision is one of the Sunnahs of instinct, and it is for males and females, but it is obligatory for males, and a Sunnah and an honor for women.

 Abu Hafs Siraj al-Din al-Hanbali al-Dimashqi said

As for female circumcision, two blades are surrounded by three things: a hole at the bottom of the vagina, which is the entrance for the male, and the exit for menstruation and childbirth, and another hole above this like the male urethra, It is the outlet for urine only, and above the urethral hole is the place of its circumcision, and here it is like a thin, standing skin like the crest of a rooster, and cutting this skin is its circumcision.

Sheikh Allam Nassar said

Female circumcision is one of the symbols of Islam, and it was mentioned in the Sunnah of the Prophet, We choose in the fatwa: to say that it is Sunnah in order to outweigh its chain of transmission and the clarity of its direction, and the wisdom in its legitimacy is what it contains of softening the sexual orientation in women, and its tendency towards praiseworthy moderation

And Sheikh Jad Al-Haq said on Gad Al-Haq

The jurists agreed that circumcision is for men, and circumcision for females is legitimate, then they differed as to whether it is Sunnah or obligatory, and he urged adherence to it, and it was not reported from any of the Muslim jurists - in what we have read from their books that are in our hands - to say that circumcision is prohibited for men or women, or that it is not permissible, or that it is harmful to the female, If it was done in the manner taught by the Messenger - may God bless him and grant him peace - for Umm Habiba, as for the difference in describing his ruling, between duty, Sunnah, and honorable, It is almost a difference in the terminology under which the ruling falls.

Ibn al-Qayyim said

There is no disagreement about the desirability of female circumcision, and there is a difference of opinion regarding its obligation.

Sheikh Attia Saqr said

The cries calling for the prohibition of female circumcision are cries that contradict the Sharia, because there is no clear text in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, and no saying of the jurists for its prohibition. And if the jurisprudential rule says: The ruling of the ruler to raise the dispute, In this matter, he has the right to rule by obligation or recommendation, and it is not valid for him to protect by prohibition, so as not to contradict Sharia, which is the main source of legislation in countries whose constitution stipulates that Islam is the main religion of the state, It is permissible to legislate reservations for the good performance of duty and delegate so that they do not conflict with religious decisions.

The benefits of reducing females who need to be reduced

Dr. Nejashi Ali Ibrahim mentioned, and Dr. Ahmed Muhammad Kanaan

In the medical jurisprudence encyclopedia

Some of the reasons for the demand for circumcision, including that if a female is not circumcised and remains uncircumcised, she is overwhelmed by intense desire, and looks forward to men more, Leaving their circumcision ignites her sexual instinct, and this may push her to fall into forbidden things, including the spread of immoralities among non-Muslim women that are not found in Muslims, in addition to the secretions that are in this place, which causes an unpleasant smell, women who are not circumcised are always troubled and have sharp temperament, absent-mindedness, and nervous temperament.

the religious context of the topic

The Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace - said to the lower

And she who is circumcised is better and not exhausted, for it is more beautiful for the face, and is more pleasing to her in the presence of the husband.” Meaning: do not exaggerate in cutting, and that is because the purpose of circumcision of a man is to purify him of the impurity that is ingrained in the foreskin, and the purpose of circumcision of a woman is to moderate her desire, because if they are uncircumcised, she is strong lust. For this reason, there are abominations in Tatar and Frank women that are not found in Muslim women, and if exaggeration occurs in circumcision, the lust is weakened, so the man’s intention is not completed.

The sayings of the four imams

It has legitimacy and permissibility in the sentence when everyone

It varies between obligation and desirability

at the Hanafis

honored

At the owner

representative

At Shafi'i

duty

at the Hanbalis

Honorable and not obligatory

The psychological context of female circumcision

The Psychological effects of female genital mutilation

general

The World Health Organization (2008, Appendix 5) reports that immediate psychological trauma may result from pain, trauma, and the use of physical force by those who perform FGM.

The long-term

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may occur.

anxiety and depression

Amnesia (Behrendt and Moritz

2005). A study in African communities of practice found that women who had undergone FGM had the same levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as adults who experienced early childhood abuse, and that the majority of women (80 percent) had PTSD.

Affective (mood) or anxiety disorders (Kel, 2014, p. 6)

Women who have undergone FGM may also be affected by chronic pain syndrome

There is an increased risk of depressed mood

Decreased social functioning and worthlessness

feeling guilty

Even contemplating suicide

Limited mobility also increases social isolation and loss of role in society

(Whitehorn, Ayonrinde and Maingay, 2002, p.166).

Burrage (2015, p. 99) writes that women who have undergone FGM tend to develop psychological conditions that make them withdrawn, uncommunicative, or mistrustful. There are anecdotal reports of teenage girls "returning to the UK from" holidays, “Outsiders who acclimatized well to school before they went, but failed to thrive in the learning environment after they returned” (p. 99). Other psychological effects include emotional distance, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, social isolation, and somatisation.

b) The effect of female genital mutilation on relationships
The marital relations

Women who have undergone FGM are more likely than women who have not undergone FGM to experience painful intercourse, decreased sexual satisfaction and decreased libido (Berg, Dennison, 2012, pp. 41-56) FGM may lead to sexual phobias (El-Defrawi et al, 2001, p.472). Women may also experience greater difficulty reaching orgasm and shame or embarrassment about intimacy (Burrage, 2015, p.115) Narrowing of the vaginal opening can make intercourse painful for both partners (British Medical Association, 2011, p.6). A study (Elnashar, Abdelhady, 2007, p.241) conducted on a sample of newly married women in the city of Benha found that 40.5% of women who underwent FGM, they experienced dyspareunia (difficult or painful sexual intercourse), while only 18.8% of the women who had not had sex experienced it. 17.5% of women who underwent FGM felt dissatisfied with their husbands, while only 4.7% of uncircumcised women felt this way.

A lack of sexual pleasure for both parties can lead to couples having extramarital affairs with women who have not undergone FGM (FORWARD, 2002, p6). Emotional or physical pain during intercourse reduces enjoyment for both the woman and her partner, affecting intimacy in the relationship (Whitehorn, Ayonrinde, Maingay, 2002, p.167) an interview with Dr. Brenda Kelly (Chung, 2015) reveals that when intercourse is painful, the vaginal muscles contract, making intercourse more difficult, perpetuating a vicious cycle. As a result, these women avoid sex, which can lead to marital dissatisfaction.

In addition, immigrant females may have “altered expectations” of sex due to “new sexual culture, media, or new peers” (Whitehorn, Ayonrinde, Maingay, 2002, p.166). A woman who has undergone FGM may be aware of differences in the appearance of her genitals and may feel embarrassed during a physical examination or sexual intercourse. Furthermore, women who perceive a lack of sexual pleasure may feel anger, guilt, shame, or inadequacy (p. 166).

Furthermore, the inability to have sexual intercourse may result in the woman being unable to fulfill her reproductive role, and this may be a major role in certain societies. In some societies, women are blamed for failing to bear children, and this may be attributed to a curse, which can lead to a woman being rejected by her husband and even by her extended family, causing 'further social isolation' (Whitehorn , Ionrind, Minghai, 2002, p. 167).

However, the assumption that all circumcised women suffer from sexual problems or are unable to achieve orgasm is not substantiated by research or anecdotal evidence. The relationship between the degree of anatomical damage and a woman's ability to compensate for it through other sensory fields or emotions and imagination is not well understood (Tobia, 1994, p. 714).

family relationships

Traditionally, a female from the community performs the FGM procedure. They may be closely related or completely alien. Some survivors experience a sense of betrayal by someone emotionally close to them (Whitehorn, Ayonrinde, Maingay, 2002, p.165). In many cases, girls are held by female relatives while FGM is performed (British Medical Association, 2011, p5).

The long-term

There may be “behavioral disturbances as a result of childhood trauma and a potential loss of trust in caregivers who have allowed or participated in a traumatic and upsetting procedure” (British Medical Association, 2011, p.6).

In 1999, FORWARD conducted a study of 15 Somali women in Manchester

Ask about her experiences and attitudes towards FGM. Many women felt distressed and hurt. One woman stated, "My mother is dead now but I can never forgive her for what she did to me [;] she ruined my life" (FORWARD, 2002, p. 21).

Age can be a protective factor against the negative psychological effects of FGM.

As stated by Dr. Brenda Kelly (Chung, 2015), if a survivor is younger than two years old, she is less likely to remember and less likely to suffer from PTSD. The people most at risk of developing PTSD are children older than five years of age who remember being subjected to forcible stress and who experienced severe pain and/or complications afterwards.

There are a variety of other conditions that may mitigate the negative effects of FGM.

A 2015 study by Knipscheer et al (2015) found that approximately 64% of participants “did not report scores above the threshold for indicators of PTSD, anxiety, or depression” (p. 275). It was found that the type of FGM, country of origin, source of income, vividness of recall and coping style were important factors influencing mental health outcomes. For example, circumcision, and "Vivid Memories" and Style of Coping with Substance Abuse, High Scores of PTSD (p. 275). Survivors may also be able to recover without experiencing mental health problems (p. 276) - for example, Lockhat showed in 2004 that women who had undergone type 4 genital mutilation did not report problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Alternatively, women may report symptoms without reporting them due to different perceptions

for example

that factors other than female genital mutilation were responsible for the symptoms) or taboos (which make them ashamed to share these problems). The reluctance to report symptoms may also be due to the fact that thinking or talking about their FGM experience may bring up the pain they experienced at the time (p. 276). The study also suggested that if women rate the event less negatively, there is a lower likelihood of developing PTSD (p. 276). Therefore, the study highlights the importance of assigning different weights to different factors in each individual case.

female genital mutilation globally

Since 2008

The joint program between the United Nations Fund and UNICEF

Work to accelerate the abandonment of FGM in a wide range of areas such as legal reform, research and data analysis, capacity building of medical and field workers, as well as direct engagement with communities and religious leaders.

And in 2014

The joint program between the United Nations Population Fund and UNICEF launched the second phase, and expanded its work to include 17 countries. The joint program is working closely with the Ministry of Health and Population to address the growing challenge of:

1- Medication of female circumcision

2 - Strengthening the law banning female genital mutilation

3 - Mobilization of social change at the community level.

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