Last week the parliament in Yemen refused the inclusion of an FGM-ban out in the new act of parliament.

While top clerics are finally bringing themselves to speak up against FGM, FGM-advocates and others who are against banning FGM are in agreement: “Religion dictates it”.

An article in the „Yemen Times“: Last week Yemen had the chance to finally forbid FGM by law. But the parliamentarians deleted the passage about the FGM ban from the now passed act of parliament. The argumentation of those opposing the ban: In Yemen only 25 per cent of women are affected anyway, one could not speak of a general danger for women. And: Religious discussions about this topic are still abundant. A parliamentarian justified his dissenting vote regarding the draft law thus: As the churches have not yet come to a unanimous conclusion regarding FGM, the parliament would have no right to forbid FGM, it should be up to Religion. Apparently, clarifications given by top clericals such as the „big sheik of the al-Azhar Mosque“, the oldest religious institution of the Sunnite Muslims in the world, don´t help much: FGM is pure tradition and has no roots in Islamic writings.

Source: Yemen Times