Why I would circumcise my daughters

The topic of female circumcission is an issue that has generated a lot of controversy in almost all societies in this generation and is a hot topic among the feminists both men and women. Well, as a muslim, I know it is a procedure that is encouraged to be carried out on female children but there are prescribed ways and limits to what and how it should be done.

Before I had my first baby, I had it in mind to have it done on my baby if I was blessed with a girl, I knew it was not an obligation and that muslim parents can chose to do it or leave it if they don't want it for their daughters. I was careful not to mention it to any of my friends because I was certain they would try to discourage me based on the negative way it has been represented in the media about its dangers and other problems associated with it. I made a little research on my own and found out that the cases that were reported in which the procedure went wrong and led to all the various tragedies which ranged from infection, bleeding to death in the short run or even those that resulted in complications years later when the circumcised girl wants to have her own baby, was caused by the fact that the procedure carried out on them was not female circumcission but genital mutilation and it is totally different because the reason and method is completely different.

Female circumcission had been a practice in the arab world before the time of the prophet (peace be upon him) and when guidance of islam came unto the Arabs, they still continued with the practice. However, there is a report that the Prophet (peace be upon him) told a particular woman whose profession was to circumcise baby girls to make the cut as little as possible and not overdo it because that would put a light on her face and would be pleasing to her husband. Whereas the other procedure which is mutilation is the pharaonic circumcission in which a lot more of the female part is cut and then she is stitched up and just a small opening is left for the monthly period to pass through when the girl reaches puberty.

Eventually, I was blessed with a boy so the issue of finding a place to circumcise a baby girl did not arise as it is not openly done in the government hospitals in saudi Arabia. Well, when my son was exactly 2 weeks old, there was a not too nice occurrence that made me promise myself that I will never circumcise my baby girl if I ever have one...

*to be continued.