So far, we have looked at what is in Quran. In this article, we will be looking at something which is not in Quran, but that many Westerners, with a shallow knowledge of the Islamic religion, attribute to Islam. It is a problem which is creating an outcry and an adverse reaction in many parts of the world. It is the topic of excision, or, as it is commonly called, the female genital mutilation.
The latest statistics in Canada put at 15% gender discrimination as the reason refugee claimants give for coming to the country. Many of those claims are based on excision or the fear of it, and several international organisations address that horrific problem. Excision is defined as the “ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons”. It is performed to reduce excessive sexual desire and prevent a woman from having an orgasm.
In fact, excision has absolutely nothing to do with the Islamic religion. It is practiced in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Although it is performed in limited segments of society in very few Moslem countries, it is not the norm, but it is creeping up nowadays into the teachings of some radical or ultra-conservative Islamic preaching.
Quran talks neither of circumcision, nor of excision. Circumcision comes down to Moslems from Allah’s covenant with Abraham, mentioned in Genesis 17:10-14, that stipulates that all male descendants from Abraham (or those whom they would buy) shall be circumcised, at 8 days after birth, as a sign of obedience to that covenant. The rituals of our religion came to us through Abraham and his children, and they say nothing of the “circumcision” of women.
Although there may be some benefits, hygienic or spiritual, in circumcision, no such a thing is readily apparent in the excision. Those who do not use it consider it as barbaric, and it may just be what it really is. If Allah wanted women to be physically restrained when it comes to sexual activity, He would have created them as such. And it is not for the men to correct through inhumane surgery what Allah has judged to be correct.
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La Circoncision et l’Excision
Quran Perspective 