It seems that Egypt, almost four decades after Dr. Nawal al-Sadaawi first exposed to the west the horror of female genital mutilation there, really is finally getting serious about stopping the practice – that means, this story suggests, both the government and the society. But it is not going to be easy – a survey recently found that 96% of women had suffered the mutilation. And even though senior Islamic scholars have spoken out against it, there’s considerable attachment to the practice.
When you think that it damages women, terrifies them, and probably in many cases destroys any hope of sexual pleasure, well it tells you a lot about Egyptian society – beyond even the horror of the act itself.
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