Attorney General Husnu Suood has said the practice of female circumcision in the name of Islam has been revived in Addu atoll.
Speaking at a human rights function last night, Suood said although there have been significant successes in human rights in the past six years new problems and violations were emerging, “especially atrocities against women and children”.
Suood said “false scholars” were promoting anti-Islamic activities that also violated human rights principles.
“I will note one thing I learned in the past two weeks: religious scholars are going around to midwives giving fatwas that girls have to be circumcised. They’re giving fatwas saying it is religiously compulsory. According to my information, the circumcising of girls has started and is going on with a new spirit.”
He added it had to be stopped and “cannot be tolerated.”
“This is not something we can just stand by and watch. In the recent past, I would say this had ceased almost completely. But today in Addu atoll, the circumcision of girls is going on at some speed. I call upon the relevant authorities to stop this.”
Suood said one of violation the authorities have been alerted to was violence against women in the name of Islam.
“Violence against women and children in the name of Islam, or in the name of promoting Islam, is something we should be concerned about,” he said.
Suood said Islam is a religion that protects the dignity of human beings, and referred to the efforts to put an end to the practice of female infanticide during the early days of Islam.
“Robbing people of their human rights or burying their rights in the name of religion is not acceptable,” he said. “I believe it is in defiance of our religion.”
He added there were cases of husbands forcing their wives to sleep on the floor “in the name of religion, saying, ‘this is how it is in Islam’.”
Further, some families were refusing to send girls to school or let them find employment across the country.
Another growing concern was the rise of human trafficking, he said, with a number of under-age girls recently brought to the country for sex trafficking.
“Human trafficking was certainly not something we have heard of in the Maldives in our recent history, especially the trafficking of women for sexual purposes,” Suood said, adding that the growth of the problem was something the government had to take immediate action against.
He further noted the rise of child abuse, referring to the recently passed law on special provisions for sex offenders as a step forward.
The attorney general also said that harassment and abuse of expatriate workers remained a serious problem.
A report by the Human Rights Commission revealed the dire situation of some expatriates in the country, who endure cramped and unsuitable living quarters and the non-payment of wages.
Opening his remarks, Suood said it was essential for Maldivians to change their mentality and ways of thinking to make progress on human rights issues.
The most important task at hand was to identify the areas where special measures were needed, he urged.
“Six years ago, our attention was mainly focused on political freedom and political rights, and how those rights could be won,” he said, adding there has been significant development in that area with the ratification of the new constitution.
But, he added, writing down rights on a piece of paper does not secure them. A bill of rights could not guarantee essential liberty unless Maldivians changed their “mentality and attitude”, he said, proposing human rights be taught as a school subject from pre-school to higher education.
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PLease allow this link and comment. Some people do need to see the brutality of this act to realise what they are really doing. In 2007 it was reported in a blog and its a shame that a news paper reports on it after 2 years. Sometimes i do wonder what you people are doing as reporters.
http://tiny.cc/TBmBM
Female genital mutilation is an African practice
Did the scholars in Addu come from Africa
Across the country, many of us will be outraged at the news that female circumcision is being practiced in our country. But there will also be many of us who are only slightly offended or even the minority who believe in the possible righteousness of such an action. Such is the sorry state of our nation.
Husnu Suood has taken the first step in denouncing it in such unequivocal terms. I pray he stays steadfast in his opposition to those who would harm women and children in our country. The conservative ideologies that have infected our society have been growing both in quantity and in strength. The Police Investigation Unit needs to become involved urgently and they must take the appropriate action. Anyone who allows a child or woman to be mutilated must be thrown in jail. Anyone who advocates such an action must be publicly chastised and exposed for the evil he conveys. Any parent who allows their child to fall prey to these believes must have their child taken away and be made an example of.
There is no middle ground on this issue. There is no compromise. We cannot allow those who are helpless to suffer. We cannot stand by and allow injustice.
As the Maldivians get more rights in one area we seem to be slipping drastically in other areas especially areas where Islam is concerned. One reason is because few people dare to speak out lest they say something wrong about religion. Islamis scholars are very vocal about some issues like selling alcohol or building places of worship for other religions. But on such issues as abuse of women and children they are disturbingly silent. It is time the true Islamic scholars came out and spoke against such practices as abuse of women and children.
This is done in 1970's even in Male'. I have a friend who has done it and I was done it too.This is not religious.
How much sickness are we going to tolerate in this society? if a men mates a men, then yea everybody is at their neck to investigate, find those people and attack them, but for god sake, these are little children we are abusing. im not acting surprized, i know what beasts human beings are... even though these are the same people who thing they were created in Gods image and abhore the theory of evolution...
Disgusting how some scholars give Islam a bad name. Police should arrest these people and warn people who gives into these false fatwas that they too will be arrested if they take any part in this.
That is why people need to go back to the Quran and Hadith when in doubt. We have too many sheikhs these days. People have to not be lazy and do their own research. Ignorance is not an excuse (This goes to the unreligious ones too).
Circumcising females is sunnah; it is neither a bad practice or harmful, if it is done within moderation. When extreme forms of female circumcision are carried out, harm may result.
http://haadhee.blogspot.com/2009/12/ruling-on-female-circumcision.html
Circumcision is prescribed for both males and females. The correct view is that circumcision is obligatory for males and that it is one of the symbols of Islam, and that circumcision of women is mustahabb but not obligatory.
so u cant talk against it.. its from our religion..
http://haadhee.blogspot.com/2009/12/circumcision-how-it-is-done-and-rulings.html
http://haadhee.blogspot.com/2009/12/medical-benefits-of-female-circumcision.html
@ Sha on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 10:08 AM
Muslims dont believe that man was created in God's image. Just for your information since you seem to be very ignorant about us.
And there is none like unto Him. (quran 112:4)
As for all these abhorrent things including homosexuality is because we have failed to practice God's law in this country.
Female circumcision has all to do with our culture even how abusive it is. It has nothing to do with Islam.
The US and some European countries has carried out genocide and terrorism in the name of democracy and peace. Same way there are some people who use or preach religion for their wishful thinking. The problem is that majority of Muslims like the Christians are ignorant of the true teachings of Islam.
Democracy and islam can't co-exist perfectly. there would be flaws.
one ideology of democracy is freedom of speech... so there would be sheikh's ,who learns from madrasa, preaching his point of view. the diversity of sects is most worrying thing now. whether we believe it or not.
Religion should be controlled by state all the time(I like Maumoon era on this matter). thats where democracy and human rights brag about.
Religious-wannabe's are a pandemic to this society... if we tolerate this. then 20 years time we will be in stone age for sure, but no Flint Stone in sight.
Response to Hussain - "Circumcising females is sunnah; it is neither a bad practice or harmful, if it is done within moderation. When extreme forms of female circumcision are carried out, harm may result." - How much do you really know about Islam? Just stop the nonsense all of you fanatics are spreading and just getting a kick off these cruel and just sick acts of yours. These messages are being spread by the perverts and there is no such thing in Islam - The word Islam means peace. I refuse to believe that there maybe degrees or various stages of harm and cruel actions. Apply Islam/peace in all aspects of your lives and its about time liberals speakout on this!
Hussein, this is a serious statement you have made. You have said here that Prophet Muhammadh endorsed female circumsicion.
Can Hussein above explain to us exactly where in the Sunna Prophet Muhammadh Peace Be Upon Him said that a female's genitals has to be cut off?
I am clearly not as learned as you appear to be, because I have never come across this in the teachings of Prophet Muhammadh (PUH)
Please do share with us your wisdom. In a country where few people have read the translation of the Quraan and few have read the Sunna I think one should back up what one says when such claims are made in a public newspaper, especially on a matter that violates our fundamental rights as women.
Could the Ministry of Islamic Affairs please clarify this statement and educate us on this matter?
Salam Alakium,
On the issue of female circumcision I will wait until I have verifiable proof before believing it. Remember it is only a week since we discovered that there was never any Jarriya after being told for so long that there was one - the Human rights commission even blatantly lied and said that they had evidence that there was.
What links the two issues is that once again the finger is being pointed at practising Muslims who are being labelled as extremists.
Islam allows female circumcision and this refers to the removal of the prepuce of the clitoris, not the clitoris itself. So for those who are lining to articles and videos which show the clitoris being cut, their articles are as relevant to this debate as showing a penis being cut of would be to a debate on male circumcision - that is they are not relevant.
Of course there are always those with an agenda who will seek to confuse the issue and ignore the difference between what Islam allows and forms of female genital mutilation practised in some areas of Africa and elsewhere.
Islam does not order women to be circumcised and it is not a Sunnah as wrongly claimed above. However it is allowed. There are two ahadith which need to be taken into account in this issue and it is a pity that some have not even taken the time to do a google search before claiming with "certainty" that Islam forbids this. Those ahadith are:
"Circumcision is Sunnah for men, a noble action for women.”
AHMED
“A woman used to perform circumcision in Madinah. The Prophet said to her, ‘When you circumcise, do not cut severely as that is better for a woman ….” (related by Abu Dawud & al- Bayhaq)
TO AISHA: As the Prophet allowed it do you now think he is a pervert? Maybe you should try to examine the facts before making such statements based on pure emotion as this is not how we as Muslims should discuss these issues.
Also the word Islam does not mean peace at all but rather it means submission. Do you greet people by saying Islam Alakium?
Please lets all take Islam for what it is, not what we would like it to be.
Wassalam
Salam Alakium,
I would like to add the following to my above comment:
Do those who see this as barbaric also see male circumcision likewise? If not then why not as they seem the same to me.
@Ibn Khattab- Male circumcision isn't removing the dick, dick! Its the removal of the foreskin. While what female circumcision, referred most accurately as female genital mutilation, IS the removal of there..ummmmm...dick! Classified as type-I and type II FGM by WHO!
when they are small babies (boy or girl), Non therapeutic (i am not talking about sexual enhancement) circumcision is wrong. Ill try to explain but i am afraid that lengthy comments are not allowed here. I could have given you more than 10 pages of explanation on this matter. However, very briefly ill try.
Adults and children capable of fully understanding what
is being proposed, can almost certainly provide consent for the procedure so that a circumciser can
perform the procedure accordingly to a law (no laws in Maldives regarding consent issues etc..) However, in modern medical law practices these days the question of uncertainty arises more often than not as to whether the consent of a parent for
the circumcision of their child is sufficient to allow a circumciser to "legally" perform the procedure.
Where no laws are present to protect children and no laws protecting women and children, specifically no laws on consent issues in medical practice, anyone CAN DO anything they want. The question i ask is, do we allow anyone to do anything? Do we blindly accept rape? Do we blindly accept non consensual sex? Do we blindly accept non consensual mutilation of boys and girls?
Absolutely correct what you say, Abu Jahul. One must add that type I and II will prevent sexual pleasure and therefore deprives women of their rights as a human being. FGM is done in partiarchial societies to "control" womens sexuality.
FGM is contrary to the UN Universal Rights Declaration, Article 3:
"Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights
She has suffered through this horrible ordeal:
http://www.waris-dirie-foundation.com/en/
Male circumcision is mainly done for hygienic and often for so-called religious reasons and even in the USA and in Europe one finds many circumcised men. For Jews it is a religious must do. For Europeans and Americans it is a personal decision and not one that is forced on anybody.Male circumcision does not affect sexual pleasure.
Ibn Khattab thank you for that clarification.
If that is the case the Police has to step in urgently to arrest these men who are harassing our midwives to do something they are not allowed to do under Islamic and Civil Law.
I don't think there's any need for a discussion whether this cruel practice is 'Islamic' or not.
Ban it for the butchery it is.
Ban it - others do it too:
Uganda parliament outlaws female genital mutilation
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091211/hl_afp/ugandahealthrightswomen
Asalaam Alaikum,
Its not shocking to see all these comments against Islam brought forward by readers.When i go out into the street i know how many people really follow Islam.
Islam had been the fastest growing religeon.It had been growing in thousands since the Prophet Mohammad(SAW)came with the message.People didint believe then what Mohammad(SAW)brought .People called him all different short of names.But look now where Islam is.
No matter what you try to do to extinguish the flame of Islam it will prevail.It had prevail for 1400 years and it will prevail untill the end.
So we dont care what you write on a website or we dont care if you make a website and campaign against Islam or we dont care if the government is against us cause we have Allah(SWA)with us.THAT IS ENOUGH FOR US.we will strive to the last drop of our blood and sweat to spread othrodox Islam.
Asalaam Alaikum.
Prophet Mohamed is not the one we have to pray Allah and does any one know that says in Quran and idolize our prophet. Religion is Allah. Allah will asked you to proof it and you all say hadith says this and that. Hadith was written after 250 years of Prophet death....
@hussain
taken from your links:
"The secretions of the labia minora accumulate in uncircumcised women and turn rancid, so they develop an unpleasant odour which may lead to infections of the vagina or urethra. I have seen many cases of sickness caused by the lack of circumcision. "
Cleanliness and regular showers seem to take care of this problem in the rest of womankind.
I have noticed that many of the new ninja-type Muslims in Maldives smell terrible. Is this because they don't shower? Or is that some other secret to their pungency? Maybe if they occasionally washed their private parts you could kill two birds with one stone!
To all haabees! How would you like it if your balls were cut off?