Don't Cut it Off, Adeer

Luul and her sisters were playing with their dolls when their aunt and mother entered the room with stern looks on their faces. Something was up, Luul could tell, maybe they were going to take away their dolls? If only. The next few minutes would be the worst in Luul’s life. It would change her forever. It would make her wary of who to trust. Too young to understand, she thought she was being punished for something she didn’t do. Screaming, her whole body shaking uncontrollably, the ritual began. alaala aaaboow aabooow.

This is a true story of millions of Muslim girls worldwide including somali girls subjected to the unnecessary ritual of circumcision. They base it on religious grounds, although many scholars have stated that there is no authentic source that states circumcision of females to be obligatory.

Perhaps it was derived out of patriarchal culture? The female part which is circumcised, the kintir, [clitoris] has only one function, which is purely to feel pleasure. Perhaps men don’t want women to feel pleasure, they are the only ones entitled to that. Or perhaps mothers are worried that females may masturbate before marriage, which is why they cut it (or parts of it) off. yaab dheh walaahi ma ogi waxaan maqlo mooyee

Whatever the original reason, they deny the female the right to feel pleasure from her husband. At a young age they are inflicted with tormenting pain. Luul had her hands covered with henna as part of the “celebration”. She still has nightmares of that day. She is made to believe that a part of her is evil and has to be rid of. How sad.

Sheikh Ahmed Ali from Canada has clearly said:

Because there is no absolute proof from the sources of Islam prescribing female circumcision, the vast majority of scholars do not include it in the OBLIGATORY rituals of Islam.

It is common knowledge in Islam that if the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had wanted female circumcision to be an integral aspect of religious practice in Islam the same way that male circumcision is, he would have said so clearly. Since he did not do so, we can safely assume it is not a prescribed ritual of Islam. yaa kamurmaaya gacanta taag nooh

We know there have been many campaigns to stop this ritual towards females and at least educate people to know that it is not a religious obligation. But sadly these campaigns come to late for some women. Several Somali women I’ve spoken to admit that they find sex extremely painful because they were circumcised. But even some women believe it is the right thing to do. Perhaps they have had their own circumstances to believe so. xaasidiin kuwaas walaahi.

This ritual still continues. Girls like Luul have a part of them taken away from them without their permission. our sisters were supposed to own their bodies, they were supposed to pride in each and every cell God has blessed us with.

But the clitoris is seen as dangerous to a woman. If she finds out the pleasure it can bring her, then it is believed she is doomed to hell. It seems as though women are not to be trusted, they are little children who may play with the wrong thing and get punished for it.

But women have a mind of their own. Women are intelligent. They can keep their private parts to themselves and wait till marriage to experience pleasure with their husbands. Men are circumcised but it does not remove their pleasure sensors. Why is it that the woman has to sacrifice part of herself because her sexuality is seen as dangerous? kajwaab abaayo dee ileen aniga nin baan ahaye

Not all women are the same. Many are pure, God-fearing women who can control their sexual desires (unlike many men who can’t). waan hubaa taas dood ma leh. It’s about time we look at the real picture. This is about men fearing that their potential wives may feel sexual desires (and not necessarily act upon them) before they meet their husbands. That may make them feel inferior.

Some men just have to be on top. ma saasaa mise wax kale weeye. walee rag waa kibreen waa ina lidbiyaa damn.