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New survey reveals that majority of women in Kurdistan have undergone genital mutilation.
By Qassim Khidhir in Erbil (ICR No. 323, 11-Feb-10)
Mariam
Nadr, 77, has a fine home in an upscale neighbourhood of Erbil and is a
prominent member of the community. She has a bright smile, a calm demeanour and
wears the white shawl of a respected Kurdish matron.
Part of Nadr’s social standing stems from her past: for many years mothers came
to her to perform genital mutilations on their daughters. For these women, the
act was a cultural and religious rite.
The custom of female genital mutilation, FGM, upheld by Nadr and other women of
her generation, has been condemned in recent years by activists, medical groups
and religious leaders who consider the practice barbaric. They argue that FGM
is physically and psychologically damaging to girls and women.
Change has come slowly, and Iraqi Kurdistan remains a battleground where
education and awareness campaigns must overturn centuries of ingrained
tradition.
"No one told me mutilation is bad; I did it for the sake of
religion," Nadr told IWPR.
Results of an 18-month study released this week in Erbil give a stark picture
of the prevalence of FGM in Iraqi Kurdistan. The German relief organisation
Wadi, which organises campaigns to stop the practice in northern Iraq, found
that a large majority of Kurdish women have undergone the procedure.
In Iraq, the practice mainly occurs in Kurdish areas. According to interviews
with 1,690 women and girls over the age of 14, the average rate of FGM across
Kurdistan is 74 per cent.
In Erbil province, the FGM rate is 63 per cent, while in Sulaimaniyah it is 78
per cent. The highest reported incidence is in the largely rural area of
Garmyan, where 81 per cent of women and girls surveyed had undergone FGM.
Even so, the NGO points to age discrepancies that suggest the practice is
falling out of favour with younger parents. Among women under the age of 20,
the mutilation rate is 57 per cent, while in the 30 to 39 age group it is 74
per cent. For women in Nadr's age bracket, the rate rises to nearly 96 per
cent.
"The study shows a clear correlation between the level of education and
the attitudes towards FGM. Still, the FGM rate amongst university graduates is
30 per cent. But it becomes clear that with an increasing social status, women
are more likely to question harmful traditions and alleged religious
obligations," read a Wadi press statement on the report.
FGM is an ancient procedure involving the partial or total removal of the external
female genitalia. It is commonly performed in family homes under unsanitary
conditions by women with no formal medical training. By some accounts, the
clitoris of a girl is sliced off and ash is applied to the incision to ease the
pain.
Practitioners say FGM is a religious tradition, although research shows the
custom preceded Kurdistan's conversion to Islam and Islamic leaders have
disavowed any connection. Rural folklore holds that food prepared by women who
have not had the procedure is not halal.
As recently as the 1970s, local mosques used loudspeakers during the months of
March and April to urge parents to conduct the procedure on their daughters.
Because 84 per cent of those surveyed recently said they practiced FGM because
of religion, Wadi believes mullahs can help bring its cause to the public.
"The Holy Koran has not ordered females to be circumcised and there is no
strong hadith (saying of the Prophet Muhammad) that says females should be
mutilated in this way," said Dr Basher Khalil al-Hadad, head of the
Kurdistan parliament’s religious affairs committee and the mullah at Jalil
Khayat Mosque, the biggest mosque in Kurdistan.
Hadad added that the top Islamic scholars at Al-Azhar University in Cairo had
outlawed FGM and issued a decree stating the practice has nothing to do with
Islam.
"You must understand, Kurdistan has a conservative society. It is
difficult for many mullahs to talk about FGM openly," Hadad said.
"But since most of the people who practice FGM say it is because of religion,
I think it is our duty to talk to people about it."
While local media, NGOs and women's groups have raised public awareness about
FGM, the subject is still considered taboo. A bill introduced to the Kurdish
parliament making FGM a crime has been postponed indefinitely and many
politicians are reluctant to address it.
"I went to parliament with a group of women. First, they said they had
more important issues to deal with, and then they said they didn't want to talk
about it with us. We brought a film for them to watch and they were too shy to
watch it," said Tara Alif, 27, a lawyer and women's rights activist who
has pushed the proposed legislation.
"I can't call Kurdish society modern because we still have problems like
FGM. This is a big obstacle to improving society," she added.
Thomas Von Der Osten-Sacken, managing director of Wadi, believes it will take a
multilateral campaign by the government, NGOs, the United Nations and the
religious establishment to combat the practice.
"If we all together start an organised campaign, in five or six years, we
will end FGM in Kurdistan," Von Der Osten-Sacken said.
Wadi’s ambitious goal may not be that far out of sight. Nadr said it has been
quite some time since one of her neighbours in Erbil came to her to request the
procedure.
"People do not ask me now, because they have stopped performing the ritual
on their daughters," she said.
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