4. What is their definition of
F.C/FGM?
◦It is the total or partial cutting of the
female’s external reproductive
organs which deprives the body of its
natural functions and of legitimate
physical pleasure.
5. ◦Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to all procedures involving
partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other
injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is
most often carried out on young girls between infancy and age
15. In every form in which it is practiced, FGM is a violation of
girls’ and women’s fundamental human rights, including their
rights to health, security and dignity. (UNICEF)
6. Evidence for
impermissibility
No evidence from the Quran, ijma’, and
Qiyas.
No authentic evidence from the Hadith.
Each Hadith has a weak narrator in its
chain, while some hadith are not in
relation to the subject.
8. Why should it be
prohibited?
It is prohibited by the WHO
It is a social practice to control women and
constitutes a violation of their rights.
It is the deprivation of the natural functions of the
organs.
It exposes the girl or woman to numerous health
consequences and risks that persist in life.
9. Why should it be prohibited?
It is a painful experience for a girl child and
has psychological consequences such as
fear, depression, loss of self-confidence, or
mistrust of parents.
It prevents the woman from attaining sexual
satisfaction since the organ has been
removed.
11. What is their definition of
F.C
• it is incising the part of the skin situated
above the vulva.
Removing the tissue that forms the hood
covering the clitoris (hoodectomy, clitoral
hood reduction, clitoral hoodoplasty, clitoral
unhooding).
12. ◦Clitoral hood reduction, also termed clitoral
hoodectomy,[1] clitoral
unhooding, clitoridotomy,[2][3] or
(partial) hoodectomy, is a plastic surgery procedure
for reducing the size and the area of the clitoral
hood (prepuce) in order to further expose the clitoral
glans of the clitoris.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clitoral_hood_reductio
n)
13. Evidence for
permissibility
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, "Ibrahim, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, was circumcised when he was eighty
years old. He was circumcised with an axe (qadum).“
An old woman from Kufa, the grandmother of 'Ali ibn Ghurab,
reported that Umm al-Muhajir said, "I was captured with some
girls from Byzantium. 'Uthman offered us Islam, but only myself
and one other girl accepted Islam. 'Uthman said, 'Go and
circumcise them and purify them.'"
14. Evidence for
permissibility
Umm 'Alqama related that when the daughters of
'A'isha's brother were circumcised, 'A'isha was
asked, "Shall we call someone to amuse them?"
"Yes," she replied. 'Adi was sent for and he came to
them. 'A'isha passed by the room and saw him
singing and shaking his head in rapture - and he
had a large head of hair. 'Uff!' she exclaimed, 'A
15. Evidence for permissibility
Hadith of Umm Atiyya: “… and do not cut
severely, as that is better for a woman and
more desirable for the husband”. (Abu Dawud.
A weak Hadith but authenticated by Albany in
al-silsilatu al-sahihat)
Hadith: “female circumcision is an act of sunna
for men and an honorable act for women”
(weak Hadith)
16. Evidence for
permissibility
Hadith: “female circumcision is an act of sunna for men and an
honorable act for women” (weak Hadith)
The Prophet ordered the women of Ansar to be circumcised
(weak Hadith).
Hadith of Aisha: “should the two circumcised organs meet, then
ghusl is necessary”
Hadith: “acts of natural disposition are five: circumcision,…
The combination of all the weak Hadith could raise it to the
position of al-Hasan li ghayrihi (good hadith by virtue of other
Hadith)
The status quo is permissibility, and there is no evidence of
17. Evidence for
permissibility
◦It is analogous to Labiaplasty which is a surgical
procedure usually done to reduce the size the
labia minora — skin folds that surround the
urethra and vagina. Excess skin can get twisted
and pinched, causing discomfort during exercise,
physical activities and intercourse. Labiaplasty is
also done for cosmetic reasons and as part of
gender-affirming surgery.
18. Why is it necessary?
To regulate the size of the foreskin (hood) and its
increase in length.
The adhesion between the clitoral hood and the clitoris
might cause clitoral pain when touched.
To get rid of Smegma which is the thick, white, cheesy
substance that gathers under the foreskin of
the uncircumcised penis or clitoral hood. Smegma
increases the reproduction of bacteria and infections in
the urinary system.
19. Why is it necessary?
Adhesions that occur as a result of inflammation that leads to
the closure of the urinary and genital tract, especially in children
before puberty and in adulthood due to the lack of estrogen (any
of a group of steroid hormones that promote the development
and maintenance of female characteristics of the body).
To treat sexual dehydration due to the narrowness or large size
of the foreskin and the distance of the clitoris to the inner part of
the body.
To reduce the severity of sexual urge as a result of adhesions,
itching, and frequent contact with it.
20. Why is it necessary?
Prevent unpleasant odours resulting from the
accumulation of smegma.
To reduce the rate of urinary tract infections.
To reduce the rate of infections of the genital tract.
It enhances achievement of climax.
21. Some verdicts
Sheikh Rasheed Rida: “there is no
evidence to refer to, nor a sunna to
follow”
Sheikh Hussein Mohammad Makhlouf:
“most scholars agree that female
circumcision is not obligatory and that
22. ◦Dr. Muhammad bin Lutfy al-Sabbagh: “female
circumcision is no longer acceptable from a
religious point of view since nothing that
recommends this practice, which has numerous
harmful consequences is definitely established
to have been said by the Prophet (p)…….
Thus, we can conclude that female
circumcision is neither a requirement, nor an
obligation, nor a Sunna….”
◦Permanent committee for schorlarly research
23. Sheikh Qaradawi in contemporary Fiqh issues: “and perhaps the
fairest of the opinions, the closest to reality, and to justice in this
respect, is the mild circumcision as stated in some hadiths –
though not authentic- that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said to a woman who does this task, he said
to her: "cut a little and do not remove totally. It is brighter for the
face, and pleasant for the husband." And Islamic countries are
of different opinions on this issue. Some of them circumcise and
some of them do not ... In any case, whoever feels it is better
for females let them do, and I support this, especially in our
present age, and whoever ignores it, then no problem, because
24. ◦Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America
◦ https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/81556/female-circumcision
◦ https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/78833/female-circumcision
◦ https://www.amjaonline.org/fatwa/en/1639/is-female-circumcision-an-obligatory-practice
26. Assembly of Muslim Jurists of
America
◦The female circumcision that our scholars talk about is
different from the practices of some African communities
(including Muslim ones) in which the female genitalia is
mutilated. Some extremists from the West and their devout
followers in the Muslim world like to brand all circumcision as
female genital mutilation (FGM). For those, we say, why is
male circumcision not MGM? Male circumcision is widely
practiced in the West. Yet it would be considered by the
Chinese MGM (Male Genital Mutilation).
27. Assembly of Muslim Jurists of
America
The AAP (America Academy of Pediatrics) Ethics Committee pointed
this out in a recent article published in the May 2010 issue of
Pediatrics.
◦The benefits of male circumcision are beginning to be more
recognized in medical societies, even though still contested. Fifty
years ago, no one knew that male circumcision has medical benefits.
The same could be true with female circumcision. They may figure out
the benefits of the practice in fifty or five hundred years.
◦Some people are already recognizing some benefits of female
circumcision (they call it clitoridectomy, which is not accurate).
Catherine Blackedge, Science and Medical journalist with a focus on
female sexology, indicated that clitoridectomy can support gender
identity in her book The Story of V (Vagina): A Natural History of
28. Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America
◦The question is would Western universities be willing to conduct
impartial studies to look for the possible benefits of female
circumcision? And until the westerners had well-structured and done
studies on the benefits and harms of the removal of the female
prepuce (AKA clitoral hood) which is analogous to the male prepuce
commonly cut in the widely practiced male circumcision in the West,
until they have done that, all of their propaganda about female
circumcision is no more than bigotry. Once they have impartially
studied the matter, they may then address the issue intelligibly. Then,
we may listen to what they have to say, and reserve the right to
29. Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America
◦ I believe that the part that needs to be removed in female circumcision is that
which corresponds to the foreskin in the male, and that is called "the clitoral
hood". It was noticed that the same harmful smegma that accumulates under the
foreskin of male infants does accumulate under the clitoral hood of the female.
There is almost no sane individual who claims that the “nicking” as called by the
AAP Ethics Committee, is actually harmful. This nicking is the very thing that is
prescribed in Islam, and not more as you may see below. No study ever proved
any harm in this procedure, which is considerably less invasive than male
circumcision. The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) Ethics Committee in their
most recent article published in the May 2010 issue of Pediatrics attested to this
very fact.
30. ◦Now, the Islamic position: In the hadeeth the Prophet
advised removing a very slight portion of flesh, which is that
clitoral hood. He forbade excising much and explained that it
would be better for the husband that only a very small piece
of flesh gets removed. This means that female circumcision
in Islam is not even partial clitoridectomy, but it is simply the
removal of the clitoral hood.
◦The Prophet said to Oum-Atteyah (the female circumciser):
◦
"
للوجه أنضر فإنه نهكيُت وال اخفضي
,
الزوج عند وأحظى
"
◦"Cut but not excessively for this would be more conducive to
brightness of the face and better for the husband."[Narrated by
Aldahhak ibn Qays and recorded by al-Hakim Saheeh al-Jame'
31. ◦As for the ruling, it is controversial; the majority of the scholars regard
it as mustahabb (preferable sunnah), some regard it as allowable and
some consider it wajib (obligatory) because of the previous hadeeth.
The question is not to ban female circumcision because of the position
of certain nations, but how do we regulate this as Muslims? Most of the
problem and the bad publicity stemming from the fact that, not
infrequently, unqualified people perform the procedure and they may do
more harm than good. If it was left to the specialists, it wouldn't have
been misused and wouldn't have gotten such bad publicity. So, it is
essential that medical doctors are the only ones to be permitted to do it.
The surgeon will then judiciously remove what needs to be removed
(which may be nothing in certain cases and women as indicated by our
32. ◦What should we Western Muslims do?
For Muslims who live in the West, since it is not mandatory and it is
at the same time illegal in the West, and would bring about harm to
the people who practice it, I wouldn't advise having it done, as long
as you are a resident/citizen of the West.
However, we should never doubt anything in our religion because of
the bad publicity the media creates about it. Would it have been
sensible for Muslims fifty years ago to doubt male circumcision
because it was not yet shown by science to be of benefit?
◦Allah knows best.
