Another "horror story" that needs discussion. This is the third of stories related to Muslim troubles and while I'm not anti-muslim I am troubled by their practices and radical beliefs. Thankfully however I know from personal experience that these radicals are very few and far between and only represent a small (but none-the-less dangerous) portion of the world wide Muslim population.Concern grows in Britain over female genital mutilation
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/07/10/britain.female.circumcision.ap/index.html
LONDON, England (AP) -- Female genital mutilation, commonly associated with parts of Africa and the Middle East, is becoming a growing problem in Britain despite authorities' efforts to stamp it out.
Somali-born supermodel Waris Dirie survived a traditional form of the practice that kills hundreds of girls each year.
The Metropolitan Police, Britain's largest police force, hopes a campaign beginning Wednesday will highlight that the practice is a crime here.
To make their point, police are offering a 20,000-pound (euro29,500; US$40,000) reward for information leading to Britain's first prosecution for female genital mutilation, Detective Chief Superintendent Alastair Jeffrey said.
In Britain, the problem mostly involves first-generation immigrants from Africa and the Middle East.
Police say they do not have comprehensive statistics about the number of victims. But midwife Comfort Momoh, who specializes in treating them at London hospitals and clinics and who works with police, told the news conference she treats 400-500 victims every year.
Arranging or carrying out the procedure -- in Britain or abroad -- is a criminal offense punishable by up to 14 years in prison, but no one has been prosecuted since it was banned under British law in 2003, Jeffrey said. Police estimate up to 66,000 girls in Britain face the risk of genital mutilation. Video Watch why the practice is difficult to fight (VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED) »
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/07/10/britain.female.circumcision.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
"The timing of this campaign is for one good reason: so we can get in before the summer holidays, a time when young girls are taken abroad and subjected to genital mutilation," he told a news conference on Tuesday.
Mutilated infants, girls and women face irreversible lifelong health risks -- both physically and mentally, according to UNICEF and other charity groups.
Authorities believe the number of genital mutilation cases peaks in the summer, because the extended holiday gives girls more time to recover -- thereby making it easier for those responsible to cover up their actions.
Female genital mutilation usually involves the removal of the clitoris and other parts of female genitalia. Those who practice it say it tames a girl's sexual desire and maintains her honor.
It is practiced by Muslims and Christians alike, deeply rooted in the Nile Valley region and parts of sub-Saharan African, and is also done in Yemen and Oman. Through migration, the practice has spread to Western countries like Britain.
Between 100 million and 140 million women are believed to have been subjected to the practice in Africa and an additional 3 million girls face the threat of female genital mutilation every year, according to UNICEF.
I wonder how often this is carried out here in the states with 1st and 2nd generation Muslim immigrants wanting to practice their beliefs? One of the problems in policing this is the right to privacy and the families forbidding the victim of the mutilation to speak about it.
One must praise the British Police for cracking down on this horror. What's being done about it here in the U.S. where anti-American protests by devout Muslims are being carried out?
While freedom of religion is a right in this country, where do we draw the line at how people should practice their religion? Touchy subject. But mainly how can we protect these young girls from experiencing the pain and terror their mothers and grandmothers and so on went through? I've been advocating that parents are ultimately responsible for the welfare and safety of their children and yet when the parent is harming their child that becomes a whole new ball game and the rights of the child to grow up without fear and oppression of who they are as people becomes a need paramount over the rights of the parents.