Theologians Battle Female Circumcision

The World Health Organization estimates that up to 140 million women worldwide are circumcised, most living in Africa, with some also in Asia and the Middle East. Some cultures – mostly in Africa, but also in Asia – have embraced female circumcision for thousands of years, expecting it to decrease sexual desire in women. The practice is common in Ethiopia, Sudan and Somalia, but not in Iraq, Iran or Saudi Arabia, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund. Islamic scholars at a conference in Egypt determined that Islam does not condone the practice. The Koran forbids mutilating a creation of God, and the German human rights activist Rüdiger Nehberg who sponsored the conference argues, “Only Islam can stop this practice.” Some Africans contend that criticism of female circumcision is a Western conspiracy, but others regard Nehberg as a compassionate hero, as he plans to distribute 4 million copies of conference results around the globe. – YaleGlobal