Here’s what a new study says about female genital cutting in Malaysia
By Zahra Qaiyumi Female genital cutting (FGC) is prevalent among Muslim women in rural Malaysia, and many of them believe the practice is a religious obligation. Ironically, several religious leaders in the country insist that female genital cutting is not an Islamic requirement at all. These are some of the major findings of a new research study on FGC in Malaysia, conducted by Abdul Rashid and Yufu Iguchi in 2018. The study was conducted in two rural majority Muslim areas of Kedah and Penang in the Northern region of Peninsular Malaysia. The study consisted of survey data collected from 605 participants, focus groups held with a smaller subset of the participants, and interviews with 8 traditional practitioners who perform or performed FGC. Additionally, 2 interviews were conducted with Muftis, who are religious scholars or jurists qualified to issue Islamic legal opinions in Malaysia. The major findings of the study are below. Prevalence and type of FGC: Almost all participants (99.3%) had undergone FGC at an early age and wanted FGC to continue. The predominant form of FGC practiced in Malaysia is type IV. The paper defines this as the tip of the clitoris being nicked using a pen-knife or razor. Age at which FGC was conducted: The median age of the participants at the time of FGC was 6 years old, which is also the median age the participants felt was the suitable age FGC should be performed. However, the authors suggest that children as young as 2 months old undergo FGC in Malaysia. Medicalization of the practice: In general, older participants had FGC performed on them by traditional practitioners as compared with younger participants. Younger participants were of the opinion that doctors should conduct FGC as compared with older participants who preferred traditional practitioners. More participants from the younger group would permit doctors to perform FGC on their children as compared with the older group. More of the practice is being conducted in clinics by physicians because of the scarcity of traditional practitioners. Reasons for the practice and its continuation: The most common reasons for FGC among the participants surveyed are hygiene (25.0%), health (24.0%) and religious obligation (23.0%). A majority of the participants believe FGC is a requirement in religion (wajib), whereas the traditional practitioners and Mufti’s who are responsible for issuing edicts related to religious matters say it is not a religious requirement. Future directions: It is encouraging that traditional practitioners and Mufti’s believe FGC is not a religious requirement. Perhaps this can be used as a tool to better educate the community about the practice of FGC and ultimately bring an end to the practice. Read the complete study on FGC in Malaysia here.
FGC Articles & Research in Other Countries
FGC in Asia: Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in Asia Remain a Neglected Problem FGC in Asia and the Middle East Map Following our report, Facebook removes ‘Islamic Female Circumcision’ page promoting FGM Report on Female Genital Mutilation in Dagestan Sparks Controversy in Russia Factbox: The hidden cut: female genital mutilation in Asia UNESCAP: Harmful Traditional Practices in Three Countries of South Asia: culture, human rights and violence against women Courageous Alumna Speaks Out for Maldivian Women A Truly Global Effort is Needed to Eradicate FGM by 2030 Activist push for end to female genital mutilation Southeast Asia’s Hidden Female Genital Mutilation Challenge Asia Network to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Consultation Report FGC in Australia: Women Speak Out on Female Genital Mutilation in Australia Genital mutilation convictions overturned after new evidence showing victims remain intact High Court to hear appeal on female genital mutilation and prosecutors’ push for retrial High Court upholds NSW genital mutilation convictions FGC in Canada: Canada lifts silence on FGM It’s Time for Canada To Play Its Part In Ending Female Genital Mutilation FGM, A Bitter Reality: Canada Needs To Do More Female Genital Mutilation in Canada and the Limits to Criminalization FGC in Colombia: Female genital mutilation in Colombia more common than assumed: UN ‘Cut with a blade’: Colombia indigenous groups discuss FGM FGC and COVID: Is the Pandemic Causing a Surge in Female Genital Mutilation FGC in Egypt: Egypt: The Law and FGM FGC and Islam: Islam and female circumcision Muslim doctors against female circumcision Debunking the Myth that Islam Requires Female Genital Circumcision Unmuting the Tabooed: FGM and Muslim Women’s Rights FGC in Indonesia: Increasing understanding of FGC in Indonesia: A field study by Islamic Relief Canada A Cutting Tradition Ending Female Genital Mutilation in Indonesia Ending FGM/C through Education and Community Engagement FGC in Iran: Ending FGM in Iran Needs International Support Female Genital Mutilation practiced in Iran, study reveals The Changing Paradigms of FGM/C Russian clinic in row over female genital cutting FGC in Iraq: Changing Perceptions to End a Harmful Tradition in Northern Iraq FGC in Malaysia: Review fatwa on female circumcision, Putrajaya urged DPM maintains that female circumcision is part of Malaysian culture Stop female circumcision, it has no medical benefit, says women’s groups Female Genital Cutting in Malaysia: A mixed-methods study Malyasia’s anti-FGM advocates: Leave our bodies alone Malaysian Public Attitudes and Perceptions towards Violence Against Women FGC in Oman: FGM Study in Oman Shows High Prevalence All Over The Country FGC in Pakistan: ‘Something has been taken away’: Pakistan’s well-kept FGM secret Lack of Data and Dialogue on Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan Violated Hopes: My Struggle to Report on Female Genital Cutting in Pakistan I Asked Bohri Women About Their Practice Of Female Genital Cutting Or Female “Khatna” And Here’s What They Had To Say Why is it so difficult to talk about female genital cutting in Pakistan? Pak former minister to initiate drive against female khatna in India and Pakistan FGC in Philippines: Pag-Islam: An Exploratory Action Research on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Practices in the Bangsamoro Region, Philippines FGC in Russia: Female circumcision in Moscow clinic sparks ‘complete shock’ Russia Furore over FGM in mainly Muslim Dagestan Activists Call For Investigation Into Cases of Female Genital Mutilation, Saying It Would Be A First For Russia FGC in Saudi Arabia: New Study Showing Scale of FGM in Saudi Arabia Surprises Rights Activists FGC in Singapore: Local movement against female genital cutting turns to Ramadan bazaars to advocate its cause “A Tiny Cut”: Female Circumcision in South East Asia – An Overview of FGC in Malay community Female genital mutilation: The women fighting against Singapore’s hidden human rights violation Ultra-modern Singapore’s dark secret: female genital mutilation FGC in Sri Lanka: Sri Lank-Culture: Mothers Watch as Daughters are Circumcised Stop FGM Middle East: Sri Lank Harmful Traditional Practices in Three Countries of South Asia: culture, human rights, and violence against women Sri Lanka should Criminalise the practice of female genital cut, activist tells CESCR 61 Butter knife or sharp blade? Either way, FGM survivors in Sri Lanka want it to stop Female circumcision in Sri Lanka is ‘just a nick’, not mutilation: supporters Lawyers and activists urge Sri Lanka to ban genital cutting FGM/FGC Victims speak out FGM in Sri Lanka: It’s never ‘just a nick’ Sri Lankan Islamic Centre condemns ban on female circumcision as ‘affront’ Towards Understanding Female Genital Cutting in Sri Lanka FGC in the United Kingdom: UK Serious Crime Act 2015 Legislation – FGM Fact Sheet Female Genital Mutilation: Legislation, policy, and guidance Dawoodi Bohras in London Told to Stop Female Circumcision Calls For Compulsory School Teaching Of FGM UK Home Office Multi-agency statutory guidance on FGM The Female Genital Mutilation Survivors Teaches Victims How To Enjoy Sex Vagina surgery ‘sought by girls as young as nine’ Perception and barriers: reporting female genital mutilation
Wadi and Aware organize first ever conference on Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting in Singapore
(Originally published on Stop FGM Middle East on January 9, 2016. Republished here with permission). By Hannah Wettig Women from Malaysia, Thailand, India and Singapore joined on Thursday in Singapore to present their perspectives on FGM/C in their countries and discuss ways to eliminate the practice. It is the first time that such a meeting took place in Singapore and even in South East Asia as a whole, assumes Vivienne Wee, a founding member of the Singaporean women’s organization Aware. The Singaporean feminist organization organized the conference together with WADI as part of WADI’s Stop FGM in the Middle East & Asia campaign. Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) has not been a topic for us, says Vivienne Wee, a founding member of the Singaporean women’s organization Aware. It is known that it is prevalent among the Malay community and other Muslim communities in Singapore. But to what extend and how severely girls are cut is not known. There are no studies, yet. Similarly, no studies exist for Thailand, India or other countries in the region like Sri Lanka where FGM is known to be practiced. John Chua, professor for film and associate of WADI also mentioned in his presentation communities in Cambodia and Dagestan who practice FGM. “There is so much, we don’t know yet about FGM in Asia”, Chua said. Professor Maznah Dahlui shows participant what exactly is removed in which case To overcome this lack of information the meeting included a training on how to conduct surveys on FGM. Stop FGM Middle East campaigner Hannah Wettig presented the newSurvey Tool Kit developed by Wadi with the support of the Wallace Global Fund. A first survey has been started in Singapore. Activists suspect that little is cut if at all. Common in the region are practiced like nicking, pricking and scratching of the skin above the clitoris as Professor Maznah Dahlui reports in her presentation. She is one of the most renown experts on FGM/C in Malaysia. In a survey she conducted only 22,2% of mothers who had their daughter “circumcised” reported that the tip of the clitoris had been cut, 33,3% reported the skin had been scratched, others called it a pricking or nicking. While in Malaysia still most girls are brought to a traditional midwife (69%), in Singapore it can be assumed that all “circumcisions” are undertaken by professional medical personelle because traditional midwifery is illegal. Speakers from Thailand say FGM/C is not their concern The Singaporean feminists from Aware are particularly concerned with the compromising of medical professions. Singapore is a secular state, yet an operation is carried out for religious and non-medical reasons. In all of South-East Asia the practice is viewed as a religious need. In Indonesia and Malaysia the Muslim bodies have called it compulsory. Such a statement was also released by the Muslim Council in Singapore but is taken down from their website now, Filzah Sumartono from Aware explains. The issue is still strongly tabooed. Such a practice does not seem to fit to Singapore’s modern image. However, the government does not interfere in the business of the religious communities, explains Filzah. Also feminists are afraid that discussing it might alert the fundamentalists. In Southern Thailand, the question is not a concern of women’s organizations, says Huda Longdaewa. There are more pressing issues like the repression of Muslims and the violent conflict in the district of Patani whose people are demanding independence and stricter Sharia rules. The two participants of Thailand believe the type of FGM/C practiced in their country is not causing any problems. However, the filmmaker John Chua who has just visited Patani, reports how he spoke with a midwife who admitted to still practice female circumcision even though her license has been revoked because she is nearly blind. Insia, Areefa, and Priya from the Indian Group Sahiyo The Indian group Sahiyo (meaning “friends”) find much stronger words against FGM. “It is like a sexual assault”, says Areefa Johari who has spoken out publicly as a victim of FGM/C. There is also the fear of being expelled from the community. The Dawoodi Bohra, a small well-to-do community, are not traditional or fundamentalist Muslims. On the contrary, they are in many aspects modern and cosmopolitan. Female circumcision seems to be a marker: “If you are not cut, you are not Bohra”, explains Insia Dariwala, who was saved from being cut because of a catholic mother but feels that she is not accepted in the community.