On female circumcision
I'd like to respond to Suwarko Herman's letter (April 12, 1997), in which he disagreed with the UN's position to end female circumcision (FC). I'm writing from my own personal knowledge, having participated in seminars at the UN in New York and Geneva on reproductive health, population issues, etc., where the subject of FC often came up in discussions. It is understandable if he does not appreciate the UN's position, as perhaps The Jakarta Post did not furnish the report on FC with a clearer picture of what this issue is truly about.
The type of FC banned, I believe, is actually "female genital mutilation" (FGM), a practice prevalent in some African, Asian and Mideastern countries, which is equal to male castration (cutting off the whole penis). Not the symbolic simple cut of the clitoric hood, but the cutting off of the whole clitoris itself (clitoridectomy), which is considered to be the "male organ". It is removed before the person can be regarded wholly "female". The practice of FC has been taken to extremes, to the extent of cutting off all parts of the female genitals, including stitching the vulva over the entire genital region (infibulation). This action often causes infection, heavy bleeding, sterility, retention of urine (urine is often trapped by the skin covering urethra, definitely not an Islamic idea of sanitation), difficulty in menstruating, difficulty in intercourse, a tear in the wall between anus-vagina or vagina-urethra, and spontaneous abortions and complications during childbirth since the healed birth canal becomes inelastic. The action itself may cause bleeding, anemia and shock.
Basically, clitoridectomy/infibulation predates Islam, and was born out of pagan rituals. In Saudi Arabia, the cradle of Islam, this practice of excision is said to be non-existent. But, other countries continue to use pagan rituals, justifying these rites using the mask of religion and doing more than what religion requires. Religion may ask that men and women are to be circumcised, but not castrated or genitally mutilated. However, circumcision in women does not have the same sanitary value as with males. This space is too small to explain this at length. I suggest you reacquaint yourself with human reproductive anatomy, easily found in basic medical books, and locate the urethra in males and females, the clitoris in females, the passage for seminal fluids in males, and where the 'hood' to be circumcised in males and females is located.
Over 100 million women alive today have been affected by FGM. FGM is medically proven to be hazardous to women's health. This practice is done without using anesthetic (imagine yourself being castrated -- not merely circumcised, and without anesthetics).
With mutilated genitals at childhood, penetration during sex in later years often becomes impossible without pain and bleeding. Some have confided that they have had to resort to anal sex to satisfy their husbands, to avoid the pain normal sex causes. With a mutilated inelastic birth canal, knowing it is difficult for normal sex, could you imagine how difficult it would be to give birth to a normal sized baby? Heavy bleeding, nerve damage, caesarean birth, fistulae and sometimes death, are some of the consequences. Many women who, in their earlier years, were subjected to mutilation, want to, but cannot do anything to protect their daughters from these same inhuman actions of pagan mutilation due to social pressure, frighteningly cloaked in the name of religion. At this time they have no voice, so others must speak up for the love of them.
Now, if millions of males were castrated in some world communities, would you speak up, educate and, on a global level, venture to end it? Or would you simply endeavor to make castration more "sanitary"?
God's creations are perfect already, I believe that many of you believe this too. There exists too many hazards when humans tamper too much with God's "perfect" creations. Excess brings damage. This we already know, all too well. We need to see things with an open heart, love, wisdom, and a clear conscience of God's grace.
JOYCE S.H. DJAELANI
HIV/AIDS Consultant
Jakarta