Mauritania Islamic Scholars Issue Fatwa Against Female Genital Mutilation

by Laura Smith-Gary

In January, in the capital of Mauritania a group of thirty-four Muslim scholars and clerics came together to issue a fatwa against female genital mutilation. In a country where over 70% of girls under 15 undergo genital mutilation/cutting and the CIA factbook reports that 100% of the population is Muslim, the scholars declared partially or wholly excising a woman’s genitals to be an unhealthy practice and therefore against Islam. According to Reuters, Cheikh Ould Zein, the secretary general of the Forum of Islamic Thought in Mauritania, said, “Are there texts in the Koran that clearly require that thing? They do not exist. On the contrary, Islam is clearly against any action that has negative effects on health. Now that doctors in Mauritania unanimously say that this practice threatens health, it is therefore clear that Islam is against it.”

Naturally, I have a wisp of a wish he’d also said that women have a right to sexual pleasure, too, and FGM/C is wrong for that reason, but assertions in favor of women’s health deserve applause. (And of course, it’s possible that had he acknowledged female sexual pleasure as a factor he would have lost credibility with the community and been less effective in condemning the practice.)

This fatwa is no magic bullet, and is not likely to immediately end female genital mutilation/cutting even within Mauritania. As Reuters warns, a fatwa is only binding to those who follow a particular imam, so the Mauritanian clerics’ decree is not universally binding to Muslims. Irin News points out that poor communication throughout Mauritania, especially in rural areas where FGM/C is most prevalent, means many may not hear about the fatwa for some time. Even if they do, some may not take it as the last word on the subject — Irin News reports that many believe that an uncut woman is ritually “unclean” and cannot pray, marry, or participate in other aspects of religious life. In addition, the tradition of FGM/C is rooted in more than Islam: while I have not been able to find many interviews with Mauritanians on this topic, those who practice FGM/C in other countries (for example, Uganda and Indonesia) tell reporters that circumcision makes a woman more attractive to her husband, more likely to be faithful, and even more stable in her “psychology.”

However, religious authorities publicly stating their opposition to FGM/C is an important step in undermining the practice, as it deeply undermines the idea that FGM/C is imposed by Islam. Hopefully, the scholar’s proclamation will also add weight, in the minds of the public, to assertions that FGM/C is detrimental to women’s health.

A Community-Based Solution

To end FGM/C in Mauritania, it will be important for the fatwa to be clearly and widely communicated. It will also be important, in my opinion, for activists to work to end FGM/C in ways that are rooted within the Mauritanian culture. In the past, attempts to educate communities or force an end to the practice have sometimes been seen as cultural imperialism or — when graphic pictures of circumcised female genitals were shown — obscenity (via Wikipedia). Furthermore, social pressure can be intense. If an individual family chooses not to cut their daughters, they could be condemning them to lives as outcasts. As one Mauritanian woman tells Irin News, “I think I’ll have [my daughter] cut because I don’t want her to have a bad life.”

Community-based approaches, however, work around many of these issues. On the forefront of the effort is Tostan, a nonprofit that provides African villagers with classes on human rights and health, then encourages them to decide as a village to ban the practice. This approach has had some significant success. In Senegal, 4,121 villages have decided to abandon FGM/C with Tostan’s support, and Tostan reports they have also supported 364 communities in Guinea, 48 communities in Gambia, 23 communities in Burkini Faso, and 34 communities in Somalia in ending FGM/C. In Mali, Save the Children ran a similarly community-based campaign that led to 40 villages declaring an end to FGM/C and setting up community groups to oversee the implementation of the ban. Last year, UNICEF announced that 10 villages in Niger had banned FGM/C with their support. Working within communities seems to be working! Tostan is already active in Mauritania, and the Mauritanian fatwa will open new conversations and provide a solid platform for their work.

(Naturally, we must not forget that the work being done against FGM/C in Africa is not only American or international nonprofits “educating” and “supporting” — a number of African countries have banned the practice, and it has been denounced by the African Union. To give just one example, in December of 2009 Uganda banned FGM/C and is set to impose heavy penalties on any convicted practitioners. (They’re also considered compensating victims.) I’m highlighting the village-to-village approaches rather than the work being done on state level because many of the problems described above with ending FGM/C through the fatwa — ingrained tradition, religious beliefs, FGM/C as a precondition for marriage, lack of communication in rural areas — also apply to state decrees.)

Taking Action

If you are interested in supporting culturally sensitive, collaborative work against female genital mutilation/cutting, consider making a gift to Tostan.  Secretary of State Clinton recently described Tostan as representative of her vision for the U.S.’s humanitarian work — you might also consider contacting the State Department or your elected representatives to encourage the U.S.’s support of community-based initiatives.

If you are Muslim, I would love to hear more about how Muslims are working against female genital mutilation/cutting from within the faith, and if/how non-Muslims like me can constructively support these efforts.

To learn more about FGM/C, I recommend the thorough Wikipedia article on female genital cutting. The Female Genital Mutilations/Cutting News Blog also seems to be a good source for understanding the struggle around this issue, though I haven’t read it thoroughly enough to vouch for it.