After heavy criticism of FGM advocate and U.S. Pediatrician Dr. Hatem al-Haj, he now withdraws his statements and talks about small “ritual nick” instead.

Dr. Hatem al-Haj, a paediatrician in the United States and a member of the American Academy of Paediatrics, after strong criticism of his advocacy of FGM, backed up. On his website, he recently delivered a statement, in which he wanted to “explain my position to the public,” saying he did not mean it.

Nevertheless, he supported a “ritual nick” - as he called FGM – which in his opinion is comparable to circumcision of boys.

“He does not say a word about how big this intervention should be. No serious doctor or scientist would ever support this nonsense, “says Waris Dirie about the incident. Because here we are not talking about adult women who can decide for themselves, but about innocent little girls who do not understand what is going to happen to them.

“No matter how big or small the cut is, female genital mutilation is mutilation nevertheless.”

Waris Dirie demands consistent action against FGM-supporting doctors

This man is a pediatrician in the US, responsible for the medical treatment of little girls, and he believes that FGM is good for them. Waris Dirie calls his statement
outrageous”.

Dr. Hatem al-Haj, a medical doctor and fellow at the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends FGM in a paper in Arabic entitled “Circumcision of Girls: Jurisprudence and Medicine” und explains that it is “an honor” for women. As the Bulletin of the Oppression of Women reported recently, he justifies his position by referring repeatedly to the words of classical Islamic scholars from the four schools of Sunni Islamic thought. He also refers to the words of the Prophet Muhammad himself, who reportedly counseled people in his day on how to perform FGM in a way that would be “more beautiful to behold and better for [the woman's] husband.”

“This is outrageous! FGM does not belong to Islam and is not recommended in the Koran. FGM is practiced by Christians in Nigeria, Mali, Ethiopia and Egypt as well as by indigenous religions. It has nothing to do with religion, but is a detestable crime to women and every doctor who advises FGM should have his license revoked. I hope the American Academy of Pediatrics reacts immediately and dismisses him”, said Waris Dirie.

Dr. Hatem al-Haj ignores FGM’s detrimental effects on women’s health. According to the World Health Organization it causes a range of health problems including “severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, infertility as well as complications in childbirth.”

On Saturday 12 May, Waris Dirie presented her new book „Black Woman, White Country“ at the Warsaw Book Fair.

All photos/Copyright: Lukasz Kasprzycki

„I love Poland for many years and the Polish people love me. That´s why I live in the beautiful city of Gdansk on the Baltic Sea, when I´m in Europe. I get many emails from girls and women in Poland and I think the people here get me right. I read a lot about Polish history and especially the Polish women have suffered a lot under occupation and wars – just as my country Somalia. When I´m in Poland, I talk to the people here and they are all warm-hearted. You can watch a video from my live performance on Polish TV and some pictures from the Book Fair and the fans, I met there“, says Waris Dirie.

http://www.tvp.pl/styl-zycia/magazyny-sniadaniowe/pytanie-na-sniadanie/wideo/byla-modelka-walczy-o-godnosc-kobiet/7346552

FGM UK:

Two men have been bailed after being arrested in Birmingham over suspected female genital mutilation offences. The pair, aged 55 and 61, were detained by officers from West Midlands Police’s public protection unit, as Sunday Mercury reported. On Saturday, they were bailed pending further enquiries.

Last Friday, the police in Birmingham arrested the men in inquiry into claims that illegal practice is being offered in the UK. Officers went to properties in the Sparkhill and Kingstanding areas of the city at around 9am. A police spokesman said an investigation was launched after the publication of an article in the Sunday Times last month, according to which as many as 100,000 women in the UK may have undergone FGM with practitioners offering to carry out the procedure on girls as young as ten.

The barbaric practice is illegal in Britain and carries up to a 14-year prison sentence. “Female genital mutilation is a serious assault against young girls and while it is perceived by parents not to be an act of hate, it is harmful, it is child abuse and it is unlawful”, said Detective Inspector Caroline Marsh.

FGM is a growing challenge for Australian Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Now, they are calling for greater education on the issue.

SYDNEY – Health workers in Australia demand greater education about the practice of female genital mutilation as they increasingly treat women who underwent the procedure, as World News Australia reports on Monday. “Twenty years ago it was never spoken of,” said Louise Farrell, Chairwoman of Women’s Health at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. “In the last 10 years, with the increase of African immigration, it has become more of an issue and that has led to resource people in most of the tertiary maternity units throughout the country”, she further stated.

FGM is illegal in Australia, as is re-stitching a woman who has undergone the treatment after she gives birth. While there is no evidence that female genital mutilation takes place in Australia, health workers are aware of migrants returning to their home countries to have their children undergo the procedure.

“You bleed, you just cry, you can’t defend yourself,” said Faduma Salah Musse. She was born in Somalia and is one of the few women in Australia to speak publicly about the issue. Faduma was forced to undergo the procedure in her home country when she was just six years old, but lives in Australia for some time. “Imagine having an operation, live, without anything. Somebody is cutting your body and you are just lying there hopeless,” she continued.

Faduma is speaking out to help change cultural mindsets among migrants newly arrived from FGM-practicing countries where the procedure is based on deep-rooted cultural beliefs. “It has nothing to do with religion, it’s just something cultural.”

Egypt MP Azza el-Garf publicly supports FGM, and is being sued by a local women’s organization.

CAIRO – New Women Foundation in Egypt said they are suing Islamist Parliament member Azza al-Garf over her pro-female genital mutilation statements. The women’s rights foundation sent a letter to the speaker of parliament Saad al-Katatny, informing him of legally going after Garf and asking for his permission to be allowed to take the MP to court, as reported on bikyamasr.com on Friday. The parliament needs to lift immunity for an MP in order for them to be held accountable in a court of law. Garf is a Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) member, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

“We are on our way to sue Garf to preserve our rights and the gains of Egyptian women,” said the open letter to the speaker. Garf was reported saying that FGM is an Islamic practice and that the anti-FGM laws should be amended.

Surveys in the country put the number of women who go through FGM to be around 86 percent. Current Egyptian law bans the practice and gives prison sentences to any medical staff who performs the surgery. However, many families go to underground clinics to get their daughters the procedure, risking permanent scares or even death.

In June 2007, 12-year-old Badour Shakour died as a result of a circumcision operation. The death sparked a battle within the country over the use of the controversial medical procedure. Her death galvanized women and children’s rights groups to action, where they pushed for more stringent penalties against those who carry out female genital mutilation. As a consequence, the Egypt’s Parliament passed a law that ostensibly bans the controversial procedure in 2008.

“We are suing her for going against Egyptian laws that criminalize sexual harassment and FGM, practices that goes against women rights and human rights“, said the letter from New Women Foundation.

Police in Birmingham arrest a 55-year-old and a 61-year-old in inquiry into claims that illegal practice is being offered in the UK.

Two men have been arrested by police investigating claims that female genital mutilation is being offered in the UK. West Midlands police said a 55-year-old and a 61-year-old were arrested on Friday after officers from the force’s public protection unit attended three separate addresses in Birmingham, as The Guardian reports.

“We are still in the very early stages of this investigation but I hope this morning’s action sends out a clear message about how seriously we are taking these allegations”, said Detective Inspector Caroline Marsh in Friday.

The men were arrested on suspicion of offences relating to the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003. Officers went to properties in the Sparkhill, Moseley and Kingstanding areas of the city at around 9am. “We are actively working together with our partner agencies to investigate reports of female genital mutilation and raise awareness of the practice amongst both professionals and communities, in order to identify and safeguard potential victims”, Marsh added.

A police spokesman said an investigation was launched after the publication of an article in the Sunday Times on 22 April. “I want to reassure people that we thoroughly investigate all allegations of FGM and I would encourage anyone who may have any information about this illegal practice to contact police”, Marsh demanded.

The girl belonged to the Embera-Chami tribe who pledged in 2010 to end the practice.

BOGOTÁ – A 15-day-old girl has died of a haemorrhage after her clitoris was removed in a banned ancestral practice. The girl belonged to the Embera-Chami tribe in Western Colombia who pledged in 2010 to end the practice of FGM, as Colombia Reports wrote on Monday.

“The case [has been referred] to the governor of the community, because they had promised to stop these activities,” said Jose Luis Herrera, mayor of Ansermanuevo. He further stated that before the baby had left the hospital in good health.

In 2007 the death of a young Embera-Chami girl brought attention to the practice of FGM among the tribe, which has a population of about 5,000. The United Nations Population Fund approached Embera-Chami leaders to ask if they could start a community project exploring the origins of FGM in the tribe and teaching about the physical and psychological harm it causes.

It was discovered that it probably dated from the time of colonial rule, when there had been a lot of contact with African communities brought to Colombia as slaves.

After one year of work, the community decided to stop the practice for a trial period of two years. At the end of the two years, they announced to end FGM permanently and enforce severe punishments for anyone who carried it out.

„Cheat genital mutilation ban by going abroad“: British Muslim leader caught on camera advocating FGM.

LONDON – Mohammed Abdul, the Imam of a Bristol mosque, was filmed urging a follower to take women and girls abroad so they can be mutilated legally. As the Daily Mail reported yesterday, the footage was obtained by an undercover reporter working for the Sunday Times newspaper, who posed as a Muslim seeking advice.

„In this country, it (FGM) is not possible, we cannot do that. (For) any other Muslim who likes to practise the way of Prophet Muhammad, the best way is to go to other countries“, said the Imam. Although female genital mutilation has not been advocated by Muslim scripture, a number of clerics encourage it. „In this country you have to fight for your religion, your cultures, They (the British) don’t like your Muslim cultures“, he further stated.

The practise was banned by law in 2003, and it’s illegal to help or encourage anyone to carry out the barbaric procedure overseas. Nevertheless an estimated 100,000 women in Britain have undergone the procedure and another 24,000 are thought to be at risk.

Dr Yunes Teinaz, who works for anti-FGM charity Forward, tells The Sunday Times: „As a result of misinformation spread by so-called Muslim scholars, young girls are being mutilated and subjected to unimaginable pain and suffering.“ The police have confirmed they have received the Sunday Times video and that the „material will now be assessed.“

The United States started educational work to adress the issue on a large scale.

MUSCAT – The US Embassy in Muscat recently held a discussion about female genital mutilation (FGM) to raise awareness about the issue, because despite its prevalence the subject has not been addressed on any large scale yet, as the Week reports today on its website.

“I started studying about FGM and came to learn that the practice is more prevalent in Oman than I had realised,” said Christine Harper, political officer at the US Embassy, who initiated the discussion.

During the event, parts of a previously recorded panel discussing FGM around the world, led by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, were shown. In her speech, which was made in February, Clinton called the practice ‘terrible’ and a ‘human rights violation’, and commented on the adverse effects FGM has on women’s quality of life, physical and mental health, their families, and their ability to be mothers and wives. Furthermore, she stated that various campaigns have
contributed to raising awareness about the practice in Africa, but there has not been much focus on FGM in parts of the Middle East, where it is known to be widespread.

Members of the discussion came from around Oman and abroad and varied from those who had FGM performed on them or on family members, to those who were unaware of its
existence. They offered a variety of reasons for the practice in Oman including religion, social pressure, sexual repression, and a fear of the consequences of not having it performed.
“Some cultures look at women as a sin and have to be prevented from inappropriate behaviour,” said one woman, who described how despite social pressure, her mother had resisted having FGM performed on her.