Specifically addressing FGM:
Seems the practice is quite a bit older than Islam. The article is also careful to note that the exact origins of FGM are unknown to us; however, there are reasons to believe the practice originated in sub-Saharan Africa.
Here's a link to a U.N. report on the subject. The 90% level in Egypt previously stated is corroborated.
http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files...281%29.pdf
I must conclude that FGM is not an Islamic issue in and of itself; however, I think it is also fair to conclude that given Islamic culture's widespread misogyny and the way Islamic jurisprudence treats women that Islam is a contributing factor to why FGM is so prevalent in Muslim nations. I'll even go so far as to say that Islam, as it is practiced in many parts of the world is not a solution to the atrocity of FGM; in fact it's a hindrance.
This is just my way of framing my contribution to this discussion. As with all issues it's easy to create false dichotomies, in this case "is it Islamic or is it not". Both camps will point to the minimum facts required to support their position and content themselves with tossing those grenades back and forth without ever reaching a consensus on what the problem actually is in an effort to find common ideological understanding upon which a compromised/pragmatic solution can be achieved.
Quote:Historically, the first mention of male and female circumcision appears in the writings by the Greek geographer Strabo, who visited Egypt around 25 B.C.http://news.discovery.com/human/female-g...121210.htm
"One of the customs most zealously observed among the Egyptians is this, that they rear every child that is born, and circumcise the males, and excise the females," Strabo wrote in his 17-volume work Geographica.
Seems the practice is quite a bit older than Islam. The article is also careful to note that the exact origins of FGM are unknown to us; however, there are reasons to believe the practice originated in sub-Saharan Africa.
Here's a link to a U.N. report on the subject. The 90% level in Egypt previously stated is corroborated.
http://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files...281%29.pdf
I must conclude that FGM is not an Islamic issue in and of itself; however, I think it is also fair to conclude that given Islamic culture's widespread misogyny and the way Islamic jurisprudence treats women that Islam is a contributing factor to why FGM is so prevalent in Muslim nations. I'll even go so far as to say that Islam, as it is practiced in many parts of the world is not a solution to the atrocity of FGM; in fact it's a hindrance.
This is just my way of framing my contribution to this discussion. As with all issues it's easy to create false dichotomies, in this case "is it Islamic or is it not". Both camps will point to the minimum facts required to support their position and content themselves with tossing those grenades back and forth without ever reaching a consensus on what the problem actually is in an effort to find common ideological understanding upon which a compromised/pragmatic solution can be achieved.