"FGM includes procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.  The procedure has no health benefits for girls or women.  Procedures can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.  More than 125 million girls and women alive today have been cut in the 29 countries in Africa and Middle East where FGM is concentrated.  FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15.  FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.  It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women.  [It] violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death"
[World Health Organisation, source].

Articles

Clitoris-Cutters Above the Law?  (06 September 2019)

"According to the NSPCC, there are no health benefits to FGM. But it can cause serious harm, including: (1) severe and/or constant pain; (2) infections, such as tetanus, HIV and hepatitis B and C; (3) pain or difficulty having sex; (4) infertility; (5) bleeding, cysts and abscesses; (6) difficulties urinating or incontinence; (7) organ damage; (8) problems during pregnancy and childbirth, which can be life-threatening for the mother and baby; (9) mental health problems, such as depression, flashbacks and self-harm; (10) death from blood loss or infections..."

'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' - Why FGM Still Goes Unpunished  (29 March 2018)

"FGM is a barbaric tribal custom emanating from parts of the Islamic world, notably portions of Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan and Indonesia. It has been illegal in this country for 33 years. The person who does the cutting commits a crime, as does a parent or anyone else who arranges for it; so also a parent who fails to take reasonable means to stop it happening to a girl under 16, and a person resident here who arranges for it to be done abroad (normally on a 'holiday' conveniently taken in a county where the practice is common). A doctor or teacher who fails to pass on information about it also commits an offence..."

Britain, Alone in Europe, Has Failed to Convict Anyone for FGM  (28 March 2018)

"After nearly forty years on the books, it seems that FGM law is so useless it's not even being applied ... France and the UK host the largest migrant communities from countries that practice FGM ... Perhaps British law is just too cumbersome. It can be seen from Europe that a specific law for the issue is not needed; children can be protected by a nuanced approach, using laws on abuse, neglect, and abandonment..."

Don't Make a Nuance of Yourself  (19 January 2018)

"One of the sock-puppets put up by the increasingly feeble and/or malevolent British police forces - 'force' is a misnomer here - has said the FGM is a crime with 'many nuances', and that these perky [sic] nuances are the reason that, despite thousands and thousands of reported cases of FGM since this act of barbarism was outlawed 33 years ago, not one person has gone to jail in the UK. Nuance. This is the range of nuances pertaining to FGM. A small girl is set on a table, her legs forced apart, and her clitoris shaved away with a razor blade. There. Did you see the nuance? No, neither did I. The reason is obvious. In Islam, sexual gratification is for men, not for women. Don't hear too much from the feminists about this one. Too busy whining about 'mansplaining'..."

Police Commander on Lack of Female Genital Mutilation Convictions: 'There Are Many Nuances to this Crime'  (19 January 2018)

"Ivan Balchatchet, the National Police Chief's Council lead non 'honour' violence, FGM, and forced marriage, was responding to a letter from Jonathan Nicholas, a writer who served as a frontline police officer for 30 years, asking why there has yet to be a single conviction for FGM despite tens of thousands of recorded cases since it was criminalised in 1985..."

Canadian Muslim Website Publishes Article Defending 'Medical Benefits' of Female Circumcision  (05 September 2017)

"The article, written by pro-FGM author and journalist Asiff Hussein, claims that 'Misogynists and Feminists' are 'denigrating' the practice which he claims has medical benefits for women ... [He] blames the lack of pro-FGM research on 'Islamophobic sentiments...' ... Many have also dismissed FGM as a local cultural practice with no links to the religion of Islam itself. Hussein disagreed saying that there is a reference to FGM in the sayings of ... Mohammed, also known as the Hadith..."

Former Muslim, Anti-FGM Campaigner Shazia Hobbs Suspended from Twitter  (04 September 2017)

A Muslim apostate and high profile campaigner against both FGM and forced marriage has been suspended from micro-blogging platform Twitter, amidst a wider crackdown on right wing voices on the website, and other online platforms like Facebook. ... Hobbs had previously spoken at the Unite Against Hate 'Gays Against Sharia' march in Manchester, where she spoke out against Muslim rape gangs preying on young white girls. Hobbs turned away from Islam after escaping an arranged marriage with a physically abusive husband she been forced into aged 18..."

France Prosecutes Hundreds for FGM, Zero in the UK  (06 July 2017)

"More than 5,000 new FGM cases were recorded in England last year ... That works out as 14 new cases being recorded a day, or one new case every 102 minutes - less than the time it takes to watch a football match. France has a similar FGM problem but adopts a zero-tolerance approach toward it..."

Over 5,000 New FGM Cases in England Last Year, Still No Prosecutions  (05 July 2017)

"Almost half involved women and girls living in London, a third were women and girls born in Somalia, and 112 cases were UK-born nationals. ... FGM is common in many African nations and has become increasingly common in the UK with mass immigration. The gruesome practice, used to suppress and control female sexuality, has been illegal in the UK since 1985 but no one has ever been prosecuted for the crime in Britain. The NSPCC said more should be done to end the practice..."

NYT's Editor Won't Use Term Female Genital Mutilation: 'Culturally Loaded' and Divides People  (27 April 2017)

"The health and science editor at the New York Times told a reader in the newspaper's 'mailbag' feature that she decided not to use thee term 'female genital mutilation' because it is a 'culturally loaded' term that widens the 'gulf' between the West and the countries where the abuse is practiced..."

Young Girls Are Being Sacrificed on the Altar of Political Correctness  (26 April 2017)

"Comfy? Let's begin. Who said this: 'Nevertheless, we believe medical examinations can have a role as a last resort in particularly high-risk cases (of FGM).'?  That was said by the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee in Female genital mutilation: abuse unchecked - its ninth report of 2016-17..."

Establishment Media Hides Trump's New Policy to Stop 'Genital Mutilation' of American Girls  (18 April 2017)

"By ignoring the imported FGM practice, the TV networks are 'guilty of aiding and abetting violence against women out of a politically correct fueled fear of offending Muslims', says an April 18 statement by the Media Research Center and ACT for America..."

The Religion of Peace and Love (Women's Special Needs)  (23 July 2014)

"The government declares that those who practise female genital mutilation shall be prosecuted. It is hard to imagine how anyone could perpetrate such acts of cruelty and barbarism. Who are these people? FGM, like forced marriage, is a practice found principally among Muslims. Yet yesterday there was a five minutes' discussion of this matter on The Today Programme but the word 'Muslim' or the phrase 'Islamic practices' were never mentioned.  Ah but, the presenter did say that 'religion' is often implicated. So are we to suppose that FGM is endemic among chapel-goers in West Wales and Quaker ladies in York?..."

Female Genital Mutilation? It's Guilty White Liberals Who Make It Possible  (04 July 2014)

"After years of silence, the British establishment has finally acknowledged the 'national scandal' of FGM which has been practiced on up to 170,000 women and girls in the UK, and 140 million worldwide..."

Uphill Battle in Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation  (03 July 2014)

"Thousands of schoolgirls in the UK are at high risk of undergoing FGM during this year's summer break, according to the British government, which is actively promoting several nationwide campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the spiralling problem..."

Female Genital Mutilation: The God Who Hates  (16 June 2014)

"Until recently we in the West have known or heard little about Female Genital Mutilation - what it involves and what is its perverted purpose. Now though, especially through the internet and the alternative media, we are seeing and hearing more. FGM is mass mutilation of children: female children..."

A Fight as U.S. Girls Face Genital Cutting Abroad  (10 June 2014)

"Atlanta - Last summer, an American-born teenager of Somali descent fled her parent's home in a suburb here after she discovered that a coming vacation to Somalia would include a sacred rite of passage: the cutting of her genitalia. In Guinea, a New Yorker escaped to the American Embassy after an aunt told her that her family trip would involve genital cutting. And in Seattle, at least one physician said parents had sent girls back to Somalia to undergo cutting..."

Schools Warned Over FGM Risk to Girls During Summer Holidays  (25 May 2014)

"The Department for Education has urged schools to be vigilant in guarding against the dangers of female genial mutilation ahead of the summer holidays, known to be a particularly dangerous time for at-risk girls..."

More Than Half of School Heads Fail to Read Official FGM Guidance  (22 May 2014)

"The guidance, which tells teachers how to identify girls who are at risk or who have suffered mutilation, was emailed to every school in the country. But data from the DofE shows that only 56% of heads in the capital even opened the email ... An even lower proportion - 45% - then 'clicked through' to read the guidance, meaning that headteachers in 1,724 London schools have ignored the effort to prevent the abuse..."

British Girls Flown to Singapore and Dubai for 'Medicalised' FGM  (14 May 2014)

"Julia Lalla-Maharajh, chief executive and founder of Orchid Project, said: 'When females genital cutting is done by medical practitioners it carries the risk of the practice being seen as more 'acceptable', however the outcomes for the girl are still the same - she is still cut, still might have horrendous complications and her rights will still have been violated.'..."

Girls Being Cut in Britain As Often As Abroad, Says Met Commissioner  (09 May 2014)

"Sir Bernard's comments came as the Met began a new anti-FGM campaign at Heathrow and other major airports focusing on flights to and from countries where the practice is widespread. One aim is to ensure that parents and others are aware that although mutilation is legal in some countries, it is a crime to cut a girl from Britain, even if the operation takes place abroad..."

3 Survivors Reveal the Brutal Reality of FGM  (25 April 2014)

"During the summer months, while many families take vacations or usher their children off to camp, thousands of girls here in the U.S. are being sent overseas for what's sold to them as a 'rite of passage'. ... [Here, three women] share their memories in an effort to encourage other women to come forward and join in the chorus of FGM survivors who are demanding an end to the brutal practice..."

Cut the Clitoral Relativism: Islam, Sharia, and FGM/C  (11 April 2014)

"Despite their ongoing antagonisms ... a bizarre, shared apologetic has emerged which denies the irrefragable sanctioning of FGM/C by canonical Islamic tradition ('hadith'), and over 1100 years of authoritative, mainstream Islamic jurisprudence..."

FGM Charge Obscures the Real Issues  (27 March 2014)

"We are all consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists who look after, or have looked after, women who have suffered FGM. We wish to express our serious anxiety about the decision to prosecute a doctor for alleged mutilation after a delivery..."

Reporting Female Genital Mutilation Should Be Legally Required - CPS Chief  (25 March 2014)

"Healthcare, educational and social-work staff should be required by law to report to the police suspected cases of female genital mutilation, the top prosecutor in England and Wales has said..."

Diane Abbott Calls for Mandatory Checks on Schoolgirls to Secure Prosecutions for FGM  (11 March 2014)

A London MP has called for mandatory medical checks on schoolgirls to end Britain's 'shameful' failure to secure prosecutions for female genital mutilation. Diane Abbott said the country needed to face up to the need for 'routine medical examinations' as she warned that thousands of girls in the capital remained at risk of mutilation..."

Why Aren't More People Talking About FGM in the U.S.?  (04 March 2014)

"At the beginning of the summer following her junior year at a New Jersey high school, Hawa, then 16, was looking forward to a vacation to Senegal. She was excited to see the homeland of her parents and to meet her adoring grandmother for the first time. But every time her mother would talk to her about the trip, she would cry, which Hawa thought was weird..."

Some Copts Practice FGM 'As a Matter of Assimilation to the Muslim Majority. This Must Stop'  (21 February 2014)

"It is the mainstream media's universal practice to claim that female genital mutilation is a cultural practice with no justification in any religion, and to point out that around 97% of women in Egypt have been subjected to it, which means that Christian women as well as Muslim women are among the victims of this practice. They ignore, however, the fact that FGM has justification  in Islamic teaching, but not in Christian teaching:..."

Female Genital Mutilation - World Health Organisation Fact Sheet No 241  (Updated February 2014)

"Key facts  /  Procedures  /  No health benefits, only harm  /  Who is at risk?  /  Cultural, religious and social causes  /  International response  /  WHO response  /  For more information..."

A Harrowing Insight into Female Genital Mutilation  (18 January 2014)

"It is private. It is secret. By its very nature it is always covered up from the outside world..."

Exploring Practices in Relation to Persistence and Abandonment of FGM/Cutting in Africa  (November 2013)

"The purpose of this study is to provide a brief insight into factors relating to both the persistence and abandonment of FGF/Cutting in Africa ... The author identified the subject for this study when observing that FGM/Cutting currently affects up to 140 million females worldwide ... [who] continue to live with the sequential effects of FGM/Cutting and who predominantly live in 28 of the 55 African countries (Western, Eastern, North Eastern Africa)..."

UNICEF Report: FGM/C: A Statistical Overview and Exploration of the Dynamics of Change  (July 2013)

"This report is a comprehensive statistical overview of FGM/C in the 29 countries where the practice is concentrated. Analysis of the data reflects current perspectives on FGM/C, informed by the latest policy, programmatic and theoretical evidence. The purpose of the report is to generate an in-depth understanding of FGM/C that can be applied to the development of policies and programmes, with the ultimate aim of eliminating the practice."

UN Resolution No 67/146 Adopted by the GA on 20 December 2012  (05 March 2013)

"Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilations..."

Female Genital Mutilation: An Islamic Crime  (16 December 2012)

"Asia News recently reported how the misogynist crime of female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to be a 'widespread traditional practice' in 'rural areas and more remote areas of Indonesia, ...'  The story makes sure to remind us, naturally, that while this crime is being perpetrated in a Muslim country, the crime 'is not a rule set in a rigid manner by the precepts of Islam'..."

FGM on the Rise in Indonesia  (19 October 2010)

"More and more female babies, even adults, are being circumcised in the name of faith, despite a government ban. ... Indonesia forbade health officials from the practice in 2006 because they considered it a 'useless' practice that 'could potentially harm women's health'. However, the ban was quickly opposed by the Indonesian Ulema Council, the highest Islamic advisory body in Indonesia..."

FGM: 'Such Hadiths Are Not Confirmed To Be Authentic'  (03 March 2010)

"The repellent and, in too few countries, prohibited, practice of female genital mutilation is believed by some Muslims and many non-Muslims to be an Islamic procedure..."

Complete Guide to Islamic Female Genital Mutilation  (12 July 2009)

"Today, an estimated 130 million (mostly Muslim) women have undergone sexual mutilation..."

Population Council of Jakarta Research Report: Female Circumcision in Indonesia  (September 2003)

"The purpose of this study is to provide research-base information regarding FC customary practices and their socio-cultural determinants in Indonesia, as well as possible immediate and long-term physical and psychological consequences of the practices on women's sexuality, reproduction, and reproductive rights. With this information, the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Violence against Women can be carried with confidence. This would accelerate effective public awareness campaigns to end harmful FC practices and gender inequality in sexuality and reproductive rights..."

YouTubes and Videos

YOUTUBE:  Linda Sarsour Caught Lying About Female Genital Mutilation in Islam  (25 April 2017)

"After learning that a female genital mutilation gang had been arrested in Michigan, faux feminist Linda Sarsour tweeted: 'Female genital mutilation has no place in Detroit or anywhere else in the world. Female genital mutilation is barbaric and is not an Islamic practice.' ... David Wood turns to Muslim scholars and Islam's most trusted sources to see if female genital mutilation (female circumcision) is prescribed in Islam."

YOUTUBE:  Female Genital Mutilation is an Islamic Custom  (13 March 2017)

We're facing a new evil in our country: Female Genital Mutilation. This disgusting and barbaric mutilation of little girls' private parts has been imported through Islamic culture and immigration. The silence on this subject is truly deafening, and it's another product of fear bound by political correctness..."

YOUTUBE:  How I Survived Female Genital Mutilation  (24 September 2016)

"I could change what happened to me for someone else. That's what survivor means."

YOUTUBE:  Female Genital Mutilation: The Facts  (08 July 2016)

"FGM, also known as circumcision or cutting continues to be practiced widely on young girls, with numbers increasing during the summer school holidays when girls are taken out of the UK to be cut. FGM is illegal in the UK and is child abuse.. Despite this and the increasing number of campaigns for FGM to be stopped, the practice still continues in many communities. This NHS film explores the severe long term health impacts FGM has on women and girls and considers why it still happens and what communities can do to end the practice for good."

YOUTUBE:  American Woman Who Underwent FGM Comes Forward to Help Others  (29 June 2016)

"The number of women and girls at risk of FGM is rising in the U.S."

YOUTUBE:  What is FGM?  (06 March 2015)

"Critical of FGM, 17-year-old Hiba Warsame wants to convince others that it has no place in modern society."

YOUTUBE:  These Are Our Friends: FORWARD Young People Speak Out  (19 June 2014)

"FORWARD's Youth Programmed, Young People Speak Out, have developed this film with Media Trust: 'These Are Our Friends' on the issue of FGM. This will be screened on the Community Channel in July as part of the Bridging The Gap series."

YOUTUBE:  Take Action Against FGM  (15 June 2014)

"Jaha Dukureh talks about FGM, what it means to a woman and how you can help."

YOUTUBE:  Female Genital Mutilation  (01 March 2012)

"Why is FGM still happening in the UK? Should schools be more aware? What are women and girls being ignored?..."

Petitions

PETITION UPDATE:  Vote For Me  (12 November 2015)

"I am honoured to be a L'Oreal Paris Woman of Worth, recognized for making a beautiful difference in my community and in the fight against FGM. As a Woman of Worth, my organization, Safe Hands for Girls is receiving a $10,000 donation and support and awareness from L'Oreal Paris. Vote for me at WomanOfWorth.com to become National Honoree and receive an additional $25,000 for Safe Hands for Girls. You can help us end FGM in our Generation. I thank you all for your continuing support."

PETITION:  Stop FGM in the UK Now

"Over 66,000 women in the UK have already undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) and more than 24,000 girls are at risk. ... As FGM falls under the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) portfolio, we believe that the Home Office should take responsibility for drawing up and enforcing the implementation of a National Strategy and Action Plan to eliminate FGM in the UK. Please join us in our call for effective leadership."

PETITION:  End Female Genital Mutilation in the US

"My name is Jaha Dukureh and I am 24 years old. As an infant growing up in Gambia, I experienced Female Genital Mutilation. It took away a part of my femininity, ... Some girls, including my half-sister who died from complications from being cut, even lose their lives. I am committed to ending this destructive practice and I need you to join me..."

Websites

Female Genital Mutilation  (Equality Now Action Group. Reports Updated Regularly)

"FGM is generally done without anaesthetic, and can have lifelong health consequences including chronic infection, severe pain during urination, menstruation, sexual intercourse, and childbirth, and psychological trauma. No one knows how many girls die from FGM..."

Female Genital Mutilation  (Daughters of Eve)

"Daughters of Eve is a non-profit organisation that works to protect girls and young women who are at risk from female genital mutilation (FGM). By raising awareness about FGM and sign-posting support services we aim to help people who are affected by FGM and ultimately help bring an end to this practice..."

Female Genital Mutilation  (FORWARD: Safeguarding Rights and Dignity)

"FORWARD was established in 1983 in the UK, in response to the emerging problems caused by FGM being seen by health professionals. Since this time FORWARD has been working to eliminate the practice and provide support to women affected by FGM..."

Female Genital Mutilation  (Orchid Project: Working Together to End Female Genital Cutting)

"Our vision is a world free from FGC. We partner with organisations that deliver a sustainable, proven end to FGC; We communicate the potential for an end to FGC, raising awareness about how, why and where FGC happens; We advocate to ensure stakeholders resource and prioritise an end to FGC."

Female Genital Mutilation  (Bulletin of the Oppression of Women)

Various articles and news reports about FGM.

Female Genital Mutilation  (Jihad Watch)

Various articles and news reports about FGM.

Safe Hands for Girls

"'Safe Hands for Girls was founded in 2013 to help end Female Genital Mutilation, provide support to women and girls who are survivors of the practice and address its lifelong, harmful physical and psychological consequences. Our grassroots programs create greater awareness of FGM and other forms of violence against women, through education, advocacy, and youth-led campaigns"

ACT for America - Empowering Women and Protecting Children

"ACT for America strives to empower women and to help stop the primitive and uncivilised practices of female genital mutilation and 'honor killings'. Even now in the 21st century, there are places where women are held as virtual property, routinely beaten and abused, with the full consent and blessing of the legal system. Young girls are savagely mutilated at a young age, and those who would speak out against these practices are killed as a matter of 'honor'. Radical Islamists [sic] use sharia law as a tool to oppress and control women ... ACT for America is committed to the ideal that all women are entitled to life, liberty, and respect, and works to ensure that our legal system punishes, rather than permits, these barbaric practices whenever and wherever they occur."

BLOG:  Rise Up Against Female Genital Mutilation

"My name is Jaha Dukureh. I am 23 years old and I think it is time we openly talk about ending FGM. We need to lift ourselves and become healers in our community. We need to restore the broken and encourage the discouraged. We are strong and we will not let FGM silence us, we shall be heard. The purpose of this blog is to engage in an open dialogue with the greater female population of America and around the world, those from communities mostly affected by FGM. ... I need my fellow women to speak up; let's share our experiences, let's talk about how this has affected us. I will start by sharing my story..."

© Elizabeth McDonald     https://www.bayith.org     bayith@blueyonder.co.uk