Parents of ill vegan girl may face police Jun 11, 2008
If this girl had been born into an immigrant family and undergone female circumcision, people would be up in arms demanding that 'these people' confirm to our cultural norms. So why are fabricated middle class sub-cultures indulged. (Times Online)
Legal loophole weakens female circumcision ban Jun 9, 2008
CAIRO: The Egyptian parliament has outlawed female circumcision but parliamentary sources say an exception to the ban - cases of "medical necessity" - could undermine it ... Female circumcision can cause death through hemorrhaging. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Couple charged in Norway over genital mutilation of daughters Jun 8, 2008
It was the first such case opened under Norwegian laws against female circumcision ... Norway banned female circumcision with a 1996 law that sets a prison term of three years for anyone contributing to genital mutilation, and up to eight years if the mutilation results in death or severe health damage. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Couple charged in Norway over genital mutilation of 5 daughters Jun 6, 2008
Police said Friday they have filed preliminary charges against a husband and wife for the genital mutilation of five of their daughters, the first such case opened under Norwegian laws against female circumcision ... Norway banned female circumcision with a 1996 law that sets a prison term of three years for anyone contributing to genital mutilation, and up to eight years if the mutilation results in death or severe health damage. (International Herald Tribune -- Travel)
In Egypt, 'dramatic' push for women's voices Jun 2, 2008
Since 2006, the project named after the Arabic command, "Look!" has collected stories from Egyptian women about some of the country's most taboo topics, including street harassment, sexual abuse, divorce, female circumcision, and the confusion that arises in a culture that discourages male-female interaction but makes women's primary social responsibilities marriage and childbearing. Each spring, these interviews are transformed into monologues that the group weaves together into a play. (Christian Science Monitor)
Female circumcision still alive in Somalia May 22, 2008
Women relatives of the young girl outside the room were intermittently ululating in celebration of the initiation of the girl to womanhood through female circumcision. Female circumcision is an old practice that every Somali girl undergoes in one form or another but the practice has recently been under scrutiny from many sectors of Somali society despite about two decades of civil conflict in the country ... However, the taboo over the issue has been fading over the past years as religious... (Xinhuanet, China)
Accommodation report's delay hurts Charest May 21, 2008
rouxville, a rural village in the Mauricie region, adopted a code of conduct that banned public stoning and female circumcision in reaction to religious accommodations being demanded in Montreal. Mr. Dumont became the leading spokesman for reinforcing Quebec's identity, and made substantial political gains in the election campaign. (Globe and Mail)
Finale wrap-up: "America's Next Top Model" May 16, 2008
Or maybe it would have been Fatima, an Iman look-alike from Somalia, whose own tragic back story -- female circumcision at the age of 7 -- probably did more for public awareness of female genital mutilation than a hundred National Geographic specials ... After all, how many reality television shows can claim to include a house debate about the effects of female circumcision. (Salon)
Woman From Mali Who Underwent Circumcision Fights For Asylum May 4, 2008
She claims the procedure she underwent, often referred to as female genital mutilation or female circumcision, is proof that she will suffer in Mali. She says the common practice is an example of a society where men dominate women. (CBS News -- US)
'Le Stud' ruling lacking in 'le logic' May 2, 2008
Pay inequity, which is still alive and well in this country, female circumcision, systematic rape as a weapon of war, honour killings, these atrocious practices (abundant in the world today), devalue me as a woman. My inability to enter "Le Stud" in the Gay Village, a stone throw's away from tons of other gay bars that will gladly take my money for a drink, does not. (West Island Chronicle)
Regarding human rights for women, Liberals should practice what they preach Apr 15, 2008
One of the most astounding and incomprehensible forms of such oppression is female circumcision ... It's not true to assume that all forms of female circumcision involve an old woman hacking away with a rusty razor blade or a shard of glass. (The Loyola Greyhound, MD)
Religion is a means to an end Apr 4, 2008
There are exceptions, albeit rare: polygamy, drug use as insight producing for most ethnic groups; female circumcision (may be more a social custom). By shrouding our desire to control the actions of our fellow men in religious terms we legitimize our biases and beliefs. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Should Islam be blamedfor 'barbaric' acts? Mar 15, 2008
Before delving deep into the question of female circumcision, we would like to make it clear that 'female circumcision' means removing the prepuce of the clitoris, not the clitoris itself. As for the Shariah stance on female circumcision, its a controversial issue among the Muslim scholars and even doctors. (Asia Times Online)
In Kenya, a refuge from female circumcision Mar 15, 2008
Changing culture: Masai women in Kenya's Kajiado district take part in a play about AIDS and female circumcision in December ... Millicent had her own ideas; she had learned at a recent village workshop about the dangers of female circumcision and early marriage ... Female circumcision (also known as female genital mutilation, or FGM) is persistent throughout the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, despite research showing it contributes to thousands of miscarriages and maternal deaths each... (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
Family asks police to investigate model's death as homicide Mar 8, 2008
After quitting the runway, Katoucha turned to speaking out actively against female circumcision, describing her own experience at age 9 in a book, "Katoucha, In My Flesh," which was published last year. Read Comments > | Share This Story. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Missing supermodel found safe Mar 8, 2008
She had been due at two International Women's Day events in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, and was to receive an award in Kerkrade, in the Netherlands, yesterday, for her campaigning work against genital mutilation and female circumcision. A week previously, another supermodel, Katoucha Niane, was found dead in Paris. (Guardian Unlimited -- World)
Slideshow Victorian women who made a difference. | A2 Mar 8, 2008
For eight years I've worked as the co-ordinator for the Family Reproductive Rights Education Program, talking to the community about female circumcision. LISA BELLEAR (1961-2006). (The Age, Australia)
Katoucha Niane, at 47; former top model Mar 3, 2008
After quitting the runway, she turned to speaking out against female circumcision, describing her own experience at age 9 in a book, "Katoucha, In My Flesh," which was published last year. Katoucha set up her own label in 1994 after years of modeling for designers such as Christian Lacroix and Saint Laurent. (Boston Globe)
Top model's body found in river Mar 1, 2008
She left the catwalk in 1994, but in recent years made headlines as an outspoken campaigner against female circumcision, launching a foundation against the practice. Having undergone the procedure herself at the age of nine, in Guinea, Ms Niane recounted the ordeal in a recent book, called In My Flesh. (BBC News -- Europe)
Breaking News'Black Princess' Is Body In Seine Feb 29, 2008
She recently launched a campaign against female circumcision, and told of her ordeal in a recent book called "In My Flesh". In it, she said her career as a top model was a form of "revenge" against the horror of mutilation she suffered. (Sky News)
'Black Princess' found dead in river Feb 29, 2008
Katoucha left the catwalk for good in 1994, but in recent years she made headlines as an outspoken campaigner against female circumcision, launching a foundation against the practice. Excised at the age of nine, in her home country Guinea, Katoucha recounted the ordeal in a recent book entitled In My Flesh. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Osama bin London Feb 28, 2008
You want to practise female circumcision. honor killings. (Human Events Online)
Fore or against? A healthy circumcision debate Feb 4, 2008
Likewise, in the 90s, when female circumcision took the media by storm, people wrongly equated male and female circumcision. Now, some believe that the procedure is unnecessary because the American Academy of Pediatrics neither condemns nor condones circumcision. (Yale Herald, CT)
Culture is no excuse for China denying its people democracy Feb 3, 2008
Slavery, female circumcision or stoning of adulterous women are undoubtedly part of certain cultures, in that they are traditional practices. So is widow burning in India. (Guardian Unlimited)
Fighting the war on error Jan 19, 2008
The abundance of violence (a young thief s hand amputated, a woman s breast sliced off, an attempted female circumcision) may shock CBA readers, but Myer s uses it to show the potential dangers of religious fundamentalism. Lawson s grief over his wifes death seems a bit short-lived and, as with many suspense novels, some events require a generous suspension of disbelief. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Egypt forbids female circumcision Jan 19, 2008
Egypt has announced that it is imposing a complete ban on female circumcision, also known as genital mutilation ... Egypt's first lady, Susanne Mubarak, has spoken out strongly against female circumcision, saying that it is a flagrant example of continued physical and psychological violence against children which must stop ... The Grand Mufti and the head of the Coptic Church said female circumcision had no basis either in the Koran or in the Bible. (Yahoo News -- Egypt)
Practitioners of FGM to be jailed Jan 18, 2008
Mrs Chris Dadzie, Policy Analyst for Gender and Human Rights of ISODEC said the Act which came into being on August 7, 2007 changed the name from female circumcision, which predisposes an ordinary circumcision to Female Genital Mutilation which showed the gravity of torture that the victims went through. She said the amendment was as a result of hard work of women's groups that fought for the elimination of FGM which was considered a violation of human rights and a violation of the image of... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
An End to Female Genital Cutting? Jan 6, 2008
"The Hanbali school says it is obligatory only for men." Personally opposed to female circumcision, Gaznei in 2002 issued a fatwa, or religious edict, calling for imitation of Hanbali practice. He has since appeared on a short film about FGM shot by a Kurdish filmmaker that WADI medical teams now take with them when visiting villages. (Time.com)
Baby robot that can walk, talk and feel Jan 3, 2008
Female circumcision should have died out centuries ago. but even today the police seem powerless to stop it in Britain. (Yahoo News -- Robots and Robotics)
Binge Britain welcomes in New Year... Jan 3, 2008
NEW YEAR, NEW MAN FOR PARIS. Paris Hilton had been pictured cosying up to Anna Nicole Smith's ex Larry Birkhead. (The Drudge Report)
YEMEN: Rapid population growth threatening development - report Dec 27, 2007
They also recommended that laws be passed - to make 18 the minimum legal age for marriage, and to criminalise female circumcision. According to the 2004 population census, Yemen had 2,834,437 houses but of these only 15. (AlertNet)
Is infant male circumcision an abuse of the rights of the child? Dec 8, 2007
There is now rarely a therapeutic indication for infant circumcision, yet ritual (non-therapeutic) male circumcision continues unchecked throughout the world, long after female circumcision, facial scarification, and other ritual forms of infant abuse have been made illegal, writes Geoff Hinchley, a consultant at Barnet Farm NHS Trust. The law and principles pertaining to child protection should apply equally to both sexes, so why do society and the medical profession collude with this... (EurekAlert!)
A Win-Win for Fish and Fishermen Dec 7, 2007
Should African women be allowed to engage in the practice sometimes called female circumcision. Are critics of this practice, who call it female genital mutilation, justified in trying to outlaw it, or are they guilty of ignorance and cultural imperialism. (New York Times)
Paediatricians alarmed as GMC strikes off Clark case expert Dec 5, 2007
Doctor guilty of serious professional misconduct Decision leaves us with no defence, say colleagues. Wednesday December 5 2007. (Guardian Unlimited)
Is Quebec's image taking a hit from hearings? Nov 11, 2007
As in the case of the Agence France Presse wire service lead on the Herouxville story: "A Quebec town has banned stoning, female circumcision, wearing of burkas, and even halal meats, in a controversial signal to immigrants about the limits of Canada's renowned tolerance.". For now, at least, not much damage has been done to Quebec or Canada's reputation, said Universite de Montreal communications professor Gaby Hsab who has monitored the international coverage of the debate. (National Post)
Wives/Mistresses of Un-Circumcised Politicians should come forward Nov 10, 2007
" President John Kennedy is alleged to have dated the legendary Marylyn Monroe and President Bill Clinton allegedly dated Monica Lewinsky. It's none of anybody's business so far as one is a great politician and can bring Monumental changes to the Country", the former Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate who has a Trade Mark of dating God-Fearing, Intelligent and Gorgeous Ladies, and who strongly believes that the intelligence of women are equally as important as their beauty and character" repeated, as... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Letter from Egypt Nov 7, 2007
As evidence, they cite recent fatwas from the university that ban sculptures, authorize female circumcision and urge women who meet alone with men to breast-feed them to create a "maternal" bond that precludes having sex. Among non-Muslims in the West, fatwas burst into prominence in 1989, when the late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini put a death sentence on the author Salman Rushdie for supposed blasphemy in his novel "Satanic Verses.". (International Herald Tribune)
All Male Presidential Candidates must be circumcised - Mayor Nov 1, 2007
"President John Kennedy is alleged to have dated Marylyn Monroe and President Bill Clinton allegedly dated Monica Lewinsky. It's none of anybody's business so far as one is a great politician and can bring Monumental changes to the Country", the former Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate who has a Trade Mark of dating God-Fearing, Intelligent and beautiful Ladies, and who strongly believes that the intelligence of women are equally as important as their beauty and character", said as he announced the... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Quebec town defends conduct code Oct 25, 2007
But, facing skepticism from Mr. Bouchard, Mr. Drouin corrected himself afterward and talked instead of French victims of female circumcision. The inquiry headed by Mr. Bouchard and his co-chair, Charles Taylor, was set up last year as Quebec plunged into a bitter debate over minorities and integration. (Globe and Mail -- National)
21,000 girls at risk of genital mutilation: campaigners Oct 10, 2007
It is outlawed under the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985 and the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003. Practitioners and those sanctioning the abuse can be jailed for up to 14 years, but no one has been prosecuted in Britain. (Guardian Unlimited -- UK)
Gutfeld: Another Example of Moral Laziness Oct 9, 2007
Female circumcision is wrong, but I don't need my clitoris removed to find out. Wearing burqas seems wrongly repressive, but how would I know. (Fox News)
* With friends like our African allies Oct 2, 2007
These included stripping tribal chiefs of their feudal powers, the advancement of women's rights (female circumcision and polygamy were outlawed), overhauls of the health care and tax systems, and a massive anti-graft drive. He was also perhaps the first African head of state to publicly acknowledge the gravity of the threat posed by AIDS. Unfortunately, "Thom'Sank" had trodden on too many toes, and -- as is often the case in African politics -- paid for it with his life. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Egypt Justly Bans Female Circumcision Oct 1, 2007
Ten years ago the Egyptian government banned the practice of female circumcision however a loophole remained that allowed the procedure to be performed by a qualified physician only "in exceptional circumstances.". Following the girls death Egyptian officials have closed the loophole that allowed female circumcisions to continue ... In rural Egypt, where the practice is the most common, female circumcision is seen as a rite of passage for young girls. (The Daily Campus, CT)
Egypt steps up battle against old barbarity Sep 24, 2007
Women on their way to a symposium the poster reads: The Beginning of the End, No to Female Circumcision ... In the words of the survey: "The practice of female circumcision is virtually universal among women of reproductive age in Egypt." ... Women on their way to a symposium … the poster reads: The Beginning of the End, No to Female Circumcision. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Police in Guinea fire in air to disperse protesters Sep 19, 2007
Tostan, a small Senegalese aid group credited with launching a grass roots campaign to abolish female circumcision in West Africa, will be awarded the $1. 5 million Hilton Prize in New York on Wednesday. (AlertNet)
Islamists won't follow Turkey's lead Sep 12, 2007
Sheiks at Al-Azhar and religious scholars in the Gulf have been at odds over a range of fatwas, from whether the 9/11 attacks on the United States were justified to whether female circumcision is an Islamic duty or simply a cultural tradition that began in Africa and was adopted in Arab society. By contrast, the state's control over Islamic interpretation has a long history in Turkey, one that continues today. (International Herald Tribune)
Gynecology group slams cosmetic vaginal surgery Sep 2, 2007
True medical conditions that merit the surgery include pelvic prolapse, the reversal or repair of female genital cutting, sometimes known as female circumcision, and the reversal of abnormalities caused by hormone imbalances. "There are always risks associated with a surgical procedure," Berenson said. (Scientific American)
Kenya arrests Mungiki cult leader Aug 24, 2007
Kiraithe said: "We want to ensure that they [Mungiki] do not regroup again." Once a pseudo-religious group of dreadlocked youths, who embraced rituals such as female circumcision, the Mungiki has fragmented into a criminal gang, notorious for activities such as extortion, murder, and harassment of women. It drew thousands of unemployed youths from Kenya's largest Kikuyu tribe. (Aljazeera.Net)
Kenyan gang leader caught Aug 24, 2007
Banned in 2002 Thought to be ethnic Kikuyu militants Mungiki means multitude in Kikuyu Inspired by the Mau Mau rebellion of the 1950s Claim to have more than 1m followers Promote female circumcision and oath-taking Believed to be linked to high-profile politicians Control public transport routes, demanding levies Blamed for revenge murders in the central region. He has not been charged. (BBC News -- Africa)
FEATURE-Genital surgery helps Burkina's mutilated women Aug 21, 2007
As many as three-quarters of women in this landlocked former French colony have undergone a ritual variously referred to as female circumcision, genital cutting or genital mutilation ... "I support science that permits such medical advances, but for me it is essential to stop the practice altogether so there is no need to repair anything later," said Benjamine Doamba, an outspoken anti-female circumcision campaigner in Burkina Faso. (AlertNet)
FACTBOX-Some facts on female circumcision Aug 20, 2007
WHAT IS FEMALE CIRCUMCISION. -- FGM, often referred to as "female circumcision", comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs. (AlertNet)
Why So Much Noise On HIV/AIDS? Aug 19, 2007
Some people become infected through their unfaithful spouses, while innocent women and girls become infected through rape, defilement and female circumcision. Others are also infected through skin piecing, tribal marks and compassion for victims at the scene of accidents. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Egyptian Girl Dies During Circumcision Aug 13, 2007
Thirteen-Year-Old Egyptian Girl Dies During Female Circumcision ... In June, the death of 12-year-old Badour Shaker during a circumcision operation in the southern town of Maghagh sparked a public outcry, prompting the government to officially ban hospitals from performing female circumcisions. (Fox News)
Award for anti-mutilation charity Aug 13, 2007
Female circumcision is widespread in many parts of Africa. An West African aid group campaigning to abolish female genital mutilation has been awarded the world's biggest prize for humanitarian work. (BBC News -- Health)
Grass roots African group wins top world aid award Aug 13, 2007
DAKAR, Aug 12 (Reuters) - A small African aid group credited with starting a grass roots campaign to abolish female circumcision in West Africa has been awarded the world's largest humanitarian prize, jurors said on Sunday. The Senegal-based Tostan, which means 'breakthrough' in the local Wolof language, has been chosen for the $1. (AlertNet)
African aid group wins Hilton prize Aug 13, 2007
Tostan, a Senegal-based aid group that started a grass-roots campaign to abolish female circumcision in West Africa, has been awarded the $1. 5 million Hilton humanitarian prize. (Aljazeera.Net)
Nebula Awards Showcase 2004 Aug 12, 2007
Nothine Ever Happens in Rock City' by Jack McDevitt is an understated short-short about first contact, while Megan Lindholm's 'Cut' looks at the contentious subject of female circumcision, while Michael Swanwick's 'The Dog Said Bow-Wow,' is the Hugo winning story of Darger and Surplus, human and augmente canine con artists in the far future. For once the poetry winners are omitted, which is sad for the writers themselves, but they can be found elsewhere, they are not a core part of the charter,... (Suite101.com)
Slain mom, 2 girls memorialized Aug 11, 2007
Kuria's immigration attorney, Charles H. Kuck, has said Kuria fled her native Kenya in 2001 because she feared her daughters would have to undergo female circumcision. Her application for U.S. asylum was denied recently. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
The American path to jihad Aug 10, 2007
Ties to Salafi organizations Timimi's work for IANA - which included leading a five-person delegation to Beijing in 1995, where he defended female circumcision at an international women's conference - ties him into a much broader circle of Salafis, such as those in the Saudi Salafi establishment. Like many others who have been a part of that movement, he sought more militant teachings that condoned violence against Americans. (Asia Times Online)
Kenyan woman, daughters were beaten to death Aug 8, 2007
Kuria had fled Kenya in 2001 because she feared that her daughters would be forced to undergo female circumcision, according to the family lawyer, Charles Kuck, an immigration attorney. She had applied for asylum in the United States but recently been denied. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
First Armed Robots on Patrol in Iraq... Aug 4, 2007
Danger Room - Wired Blogs. First Armed Robots on Patrol in Iraq (Updated). (The Drudge Report)
Slaying victims fund established Aug 4, 2007
Charles H. Kuck, an Atlanta immigration attorney, said that Jane Kuria fled her native Kenya in 2001 because she feared her daughters would have to undergo female circumcision. Kuck said her application for asylum, which would have allowed her to remain in the United States, was denied. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Slain mom, girls sought asylum Aug 3, 2007
Jane Kuria fled her native Kenya in 2001 because she feared her daughters would have to undergo female circumcision, her lawyer said Thursday. "Her fear was of the horrific practice of female genital mutilation and it happening to her daughters," said Charles H. Kuck, an Atlanta immigration attorney. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Police speak to survivor of a triple homicide Aug 3, 2007
The attorney tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the woman feared her daughters would have to undergo female circumcision in Kenya. She had been denied asylum in the U.S. but was appealing. (WTKR.com, VA)
No taboo for Muslim sex therapist Jul 29, 2007
"I'm totally against female circumcision. There is no religious or scientific reason for it," Kotb said. "But it does not affect sexuality. A woman keeps her nerve endings. I'm opposed to circumcision because it's part of the human body and it's not the right of anyone to cut your body.". (Los Angeles Times)
