Thus far, Ms Raeesah’s call for a medical review – not a ban – of how female genital cutting (FGC) is practised has elicited one of the following types of responses that I’ve seen online:
She’s misguided about Islam
These are suggestions that she’s either a deviant, misguided, not a muslim, or does not understand Islam. But they never actually spell out how and why a medical review is unislamic.
Furthermore, might I remind my brothers and sisters in Islam, to suggest a fellow muslim has left the faith is a grave sin. Even if a muslim were to commit a serious sin in front of me, I have no right to declare him or her a non-muslim. That’s divine knowledge. To assume to know divine knowledge leads down the path to shirk, a grave sin.
This will dilute our Islam
“Stopping this practise is the first step that will lead to cultural, moral, and religious degradation of the community.” Or so they say; never mind that it’s a medical review.
In the first place, if a community’s morality hinges on a child’s vulva while also potentially posing risks to her health… do I even need to go on? If this doesn’t bother you then I have nothing to say to you.
“Only the religiously trained can talk about this topic.”
Ok can, then make sure the Asatizah (religious teachers) you cite are medical doctors who can comment on the health aspects.
She’s ignoring the local context
This criticism in a nutshell: “Ms Raeesah’s suggestions are out of context to the Islam practised in Singapore and this region.”
Sure, i’m listening.
Alas, no one I came across, I repeat, no one, at the time of writing actually spelled out what this supposed context is. I’m guessing this “argument” was made in response to the point that most of the Muslim world does not practise FGC.
Now this is interesting.
Historically, wherever FGC occurs, it is usually practised by both muslim and non-Muslim communities (e.g some Christian groups in North Africa). It was a cultural practice that continued in some form or another even after the arrival of Islam. But it was eventually banned in some places like Egypt with support from both Muslim and Christian religious authorities.
Clearly, in the Egyptian context it was cultural and they adapted, deciding that health is more important than tradition.
Pray tell, what is our context here? What’s so unique to the Singaporean Muslim situation that demands we cannot even have a medical review to assess what’s happening?
What’s the real issue?
Those are the main arguments i’ve come across. But do you know what I think is really happening?
I think, in some of their heart of hearts, they know they are just following tradition blindly. They know they have no proper counter argument to what is an eminently reasonable request. Either that, or some other purpose that I cannot divine.
So they turn to ad hominem arguments, try to induce moral panic, appeal to a vague religious authority, or make grandiose claims to muddy the issue. A subtle attempt to monopolise the Muslim mind.
But what do I know? I’m not a religious teacher.
Related posts On the Hijab, FGC, and the problem with some Muslim men Monopolising the Muslim mind