2013/06/27 by I. El-Damanhoury · 23 citations
Medicine · Social Sciences · #Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Issues #Genital Health and Disease #Legal and cultural studies analysis #Judaism #Female circumcision #Islam #Medicine #Immigration #Torah #Gender studies #Human rights #External genitalia #Gynecology #Law #Theology #Sociology #Political science
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.afju.2013.01.004
published in African Journal of Urology 19(3), 127-129 (Elsevier BV)
openalex publication_date 2013/06/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/02
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a practice involving the removal of all or parts of the female external genitalia. It has been documented in 28 African countries and in some countries in Asia and the Middle East, but due to increasing immigration from these countries to the western world, FGM has become a worldwide human rights and health issue. Contrary to the belief that it is a practice carried out by Muslims only, it is also practiced by Christians and a minority group of Ethiopian Jews. However, FGM is neither mentioned in the Torah, nor in the Gospels, and – like in Islam – bodily mutilation is condemned by both religions. In fact, FGM is a mix of mainly cultural and social factors which may put tremendous pressure on the members of the society in question.