Wednesday, June 29, 2005
On Female Circumcision (FGM)
Is Female Circumcision Right ?
I'm not going to give you an answer to that ; I had my share of bombardment from some Nigerian friends who i tried to reason with on this touchy issue....they definately wanted to throw me out of a moving car. I discussed this with a Brazilian & a Spaniard and regardless of the fact that they both dont come from communities that practice this tradition; their answers were rather compelling.
Should we let these communities carry on with these traditions as part of the way they live," as part of their culture" because of the fear of transforming them into our culture... I guess then the first question we have to make is if this tradition has always been there, or if it was brought to that particular group of people by some emancipated group that believed their traditions were more superior (especially referring to those attached to the ancient Muslim religion).
But even after answering this question then comes the next one, to what extend can anybody say what is right or wrong? ...The only true laws are the natural ones... the one that can not be interpreted or interrupted in any way but they just are... the "laws of life"? the ones about the community of life, diversity... those laws can not be questioned, there is no right or wrong about them, they just are. Any other laws, or traditions, have been made by human beings with the purpose of controlling and surrendering the world to them; Because all those laws and traditions have come from an interpretation that human beings have a role in the world...human beings cannot tamper with the laws of life.Circumcision is not in accordance with those natural laws, so those who follow that tradition are not the original humans but the "modern" humans. Because their culture has already been "corrupted" by the "modern humans", then we need to minimise the mistakes we made and try to abolish that tradition that can only hurt them...
But again, who are we to decide how others should live their lives?
Comments:
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Emily,
First of all, if that is a photograph of you on your blog you are simply gorgeous and I am simply jealous. Secondly , thanks for visiting chez moi. Thirdly, thanks for the book recommendations: I think I read Ishmael waaaay back when it first came out and was creating such a stir, but I haven't read the other one. I"ll keep an eye out for it.
First of all, if that is a photograph of you on your blog you are simply gorgeous and I am simply jealous. Secondly , thanks for visiting chez moi. Thirdly, thanks for the book recommendations: I think I read Ishmael waaaay back when it first came out and was creating such a stir, but I haven't read the other one. I"ll keep an eye out for it.
Look, I understand and completely rspect the whole complexity of the FGC debate. I don't anything about it, and I am not able to be authoritative at home. But when it was reported to me that at one of these interminable conferences convened to discuss it yet ONE MORE time, I gentleman of East African persuasion got tired of all the talking and said "ah! When you leave your house in the morning, do you leave the door unlocked?" that marked a sort of conceptual and ideological turning pointy for me. Thaz all. (Oh, Emily, sorry, this is one of the REAL WMs again, trying belatedly to recover my manners and comment on your posting.)
AS far as natural law goes, is there a time when what is considered natural becomes alien and foreign? Or are natural laws strict and inflexible not growing with the very society that breathed life into it to begind with....
No need to answer that just asking :D
No need to answer that just asking :D
Thanks for the book references, I'll definitely give them a try...If they don't float right over my head!
But I do think the topic is rather interesting.
Thnx.
Stunuh J.
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But I do think the topic is rather interesting.
Thnx.
Stunuh J.
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