Damned Muslims

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Ultra-modern Singapore's dark secret: female genital mutilation

Singapore is modern and cosmopolitan but social values remain conservative and female genital mutilation -- banned in much of the world -- is not illegal.

Saza Faradilla was 22 when she discovered her genitals had been cut when she was a baby, part of a quietly persistent traditional practice among Singapore's minority Muslim community.

"Mother said that you were cut because I didn't want you to be adulterous, because it's clean -- and because it's part of the religion."

Known in Singapore by the Malay language term "sunat perempuan", it often involves cutting the clitoris or clitoral hood.

The activists against FGM have been accused of not being good Muslims, while some members have not told their families about their involvement to avoid tension.

The true scale of female genital mutilation worldwide is unclear, but the United Nations estimates at least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone the procedure in 31 countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

There is no official data on how common it is in Singapore but 75 percent of Muslim women surveyed by Saza's group had undergone genital cutting.

Activists are not pushing for a ban for fear the practice could be pushed underground, but want health officials to state publicly it is not medically necessary and the Islamic council to state it is not a religious obligation.

https://news.yahoo.com/ultra-modern-sing...38089.html

 Fascinating stuff. I learned.

I was based in Malaysia from March-November 1969 as a member of First Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.  Singapore Dec 1969 -May-1970

I have no idea about female circumcision in Malayasia, but suspect it is probably common. I was pretty naive at that age,(21-22 ) I had never heard of such a disgusting practice. 

Some things which have stayed in my mind:

It was illegal to try to convert a Muslim to another faith.  It was illegal to offer alcohol to a Muslim.  At a party I went to ,there were 2 tables with drinks .One had soft drinks, the other alcoholic drinks.  Many of the Muslim guests drank alcohol. A couple got very drunk. Malaysia has religious police. They arrest people breaking Muslim Law. EG A Muslim caught drinking [anything] in public in daylight hours during Ramadan will be arrested and can be sent to prison.

The penalty for a Muslim apostate was 2 years in prison. This law was rarely enforced at that time as far as I know. 

I was last in Malaysia in 2000, in Kuala Lumpur. Muslim dress codes were not enforced. The only people I saw in hijab were school girls.

Lee Kuan Yew  was in power in Singapore at the time, and transforming the city into a city state. His rule was very conservative  and Singapore has remained that way as far as I can tell.   EG I once saw two uniformed police cut the hair of a youth in the city. There was and still  is a $500 fine for littering or spitting. Graffiti is unknown ***This is enforced.  I last visited Singapore in 1989. It was the cleanest city. I've ever seen.


In context, I'm not surprised that female circumcision is permitted. It would be seen as strictly private/religious matter and in no way a threat to the status quo.

Singapore still has and enforces the death penalty for drug smuggling. So does Malaysia.

***graffiti is considered vandalism and the penalties are severe. There was that famous case some years ago where an American youth was beaten with a rattan rod .The US president got involved and managed to get the number of strokes reduced. No, I do not support such barbarity.

"Michael Peter Fay (born May 30, 1975) is an American who was sentenced to six strokes of the cane in Singapore in 1994 for theft and vandalising 18 cars over a ten-day period in September 1993, which caused a temporary strain in relations between Singapore and the United States.[2] Fay pleaded guilty, but he later claimed that he was advised that such a plea would preclude caning and that his confession was false, that he never vandalized any cars, and that the only crime he committed was stealing road signs."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_P._Fay