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Debate about Female Genital Mutilation in
Kurdish Newspaper
27.9.2008
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September
27, 2008
The independent Kurdish Newspaper Hawlati published
recently some articles debating Female Genital
Mutilation in Iraqi-Kurdistan. This debate shows
that a taboo was broken and now people do publicly
criticize and defend this practice, which was before
done secretly. Here are some excerpts of the this
highly interesting debate.
On August 28th Falah Muradkhin, the co-ordinator of
Wadi in Iraq, published an article summarizing the
various findings of WADI’s research and activities.
He writes in the article titled: “In Iraqi Kurdistan
62% of women female are mutilated”: |
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According to WADI’s
statistics in 201 villages 3502 of 5628 women and
girls in Iraqi Kurdistan were mutilated. Wadi
interviewed women in Duhok Sulaimaniyah, Erbil,
Garmyan and part of Kirkuk Governorate.
Medically, psychologically and form human rights’
point of view,www.ekurd.net
FGM is one of the main
forms of violence against women. It is true that FGM
existed before Islam, but at present FGM is a major
problem in most of Islamic societies, a fact that
yet to be recognized. Most Islamic countries are not
on the map of regions practising FGM because their
governments deny it.
Before WADI started this wide campaign FGM had not
been discussed in Iraqi Kurdistan, thus initiating
this campaign meant taking a serious risk. Last year
WADI started a media campaign and collected
signatures to lobby for a law against FGM. It also
organized various Radio and TV programs.
In 2007 WADI started a scientific research about FGM
in 198 places in Iraqi Kurdistan. Questionnaires
were distributed by 6 mobile female teams. 1836
questionnaires were filled out and are now being
analyzed.
This campaign was accepted by the parliament and 68
parliamentarians signed the draft of the law which
was supported by WADI.
This campaign has special internet site (www.stopfgm
Kurdistan.org ).
See the whole article in Kurdish: http://www.hawlati.info/NewsDetailN.aspx?id=2633&LinkID=70
Mr. Muradkhin got support from the General Secretary
of the Islamic Women Union Mrs. Bekhal Abu Bakr, who
published an article in the next edition of Hawlati,
strongly making the point, that FGM is not an
Islamic practice. “Islam is against FGM”:
Women problems are mainly the result of bad
traditions the religion is not responsible for. The
clean law of Sharia of Islam is far from problems
like forced marriage and other forms of oppression
of women. Problems like Female Genital Mutilation or
Polygamy mainly exist because some people interpret
Koran in a different and false way.
It is a pity that some people do not have enough
information about the religion of Islam and as a
consequence declare that Islam would not guarantee
equal rights for women. But according to our
knowledge Islam considers male and female as equals
who complete each other.
We also did scientific religious researches about
the problem of FGM and we are fully aware of its bad
effects. Therefore,www.ekurd.net
we also prepared a draft
for a law banning it in Kurdistan and submitted it
to the parliament.
See the whole article here in Kurdish:http://www.hawlati.info/pdf/2008/8/27/452/11.pdf
Both articles deeply upset one of the leading
Islamic clerics in Northern Iraq, Mr Bawke Hareth.
In response he published an article, strongly
defending Female Genital Mutilation as an Islamic
practice. In this article “Islam is with
Circumcision” the cleric rejects even the positions
laid down by an Al Azhar University fatwa, banning
FGM:
“I was surprised when I read that one of the Islamic
sisters mentioned that Islam is opposing FGM and
polygamy! I will answer her because her statements
are against Islam and against the way we want our
society to be.
Our prophet Mohammad (God bless him) said: You need
to do the following things: circumcision, cutting
your nails and your moustache.
This Hadeth is accepted by the majority of Muslims.
Once upon a time a non-believer converted to Islam
and Muhamad asked him immediately to circumcise
himself. We belong to the Abrahamite family and
circumcision is approved by Abraham and he was even
80 years old when he circumcised himself.
There is no difference between males and females and
both are asked by their God to circumcise and there
many articles in Quran prove this.
Also in Hadeth number 1261 and 722, you find many
evidence that Islam supports circumcision of girls.
The whole article in Kurdish: http://www.hawlati.info/pdf/2008/9/3/454/11.pdf)
In September Falah Murakhin answered this cleric in
another article:
“In Ranya region out of a total of 1733 women 1645
were mutilated. In some areas of Iraqi Kurdistan the
rate of FGM is even higher than in some of African
countries.”
It is a shame that the rate of FGM in some areas of
Iraqi Kurdistan is higher than in African countries
and the Kurdish government is not able to react
accordingly. Although we published detailed evidence
and data about this problem,www.ekurd.net
many officials and
people still keep silent. And then we read in
Hawlati newspaper the article of Cleric Bawke Hareth,
who openly calls to continue practicing FGM in
Kurdistan. Other Islamic Mullahs issued fatwas to
show that FGM is not a problem of Islam like the
fatwa from Al Azhar University from November 2006
(the newspaper published a copy of this fatwa). The
difference between them and Bawki Harth is that
admits openly that FGM is not only connected to
Islam by required by it.
This is why we ask the Kurdish parliament and
government to react fast. The problem of FGM in
Kurdistan is now widely known, the data is published
in the international press and most of international
NGOs are aware of this problem and it is useless to
try to continue hiding it.
From our side, as always we participate in
publishing data about this problem because we want
everybody to know about it. Therefore we now publish
in this article new data, which our team members
collected in Ranya region in 25 secondary
girl-schools. Out of 1733 they spoke with, 1645 (!)
were mutilated. This number is higher than the rate
of FGM in some African countries. But the difference
between us and them is that they fight FGM by
issuing laws and with support international
organizations.”
The whole article in Kurdish: http://www.hawlati.info/NewsDetailN.aspx?id=2299&LinkID=70
For more information: www.stopfgmkurdistan.org and
www.wadinet.de
Copyright, respective author or news agency, Hawlati
com
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