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Islamic Ruling on
Male and Female Circumcision

Pharaonic Circumcision (infibulation)
Al-Amin Dawood, Ph.D

    Before dealing with what is known as Pharaonic circumcision (infibulation) in its Islamic legal aspect, I would like to quote Dr Anwar Ahmad, Professor at the School of Medicine, Khartoum University, who writes in an article in Al- sahafa newspaper, no.1488, of26 December 1967:
    I would like to discuss Pharaonic circumcision in a frank and scientific manner. May I seek my readers' forbearance if I use scientific language, in an attempt to make the question properly understood.
    Pharaonic circumcision is a very old custom in Sudan. It was first introduced with the Ancient Egyptian conquest, and is still practised today. It is also practised in Somalia, Kenya, and certain parts of Indonesia. The old concept that female genitals are offensive to virtue appears to be still accepted. Before dealing with the problems which this kind of circumcision involves, I want to explain the anatomy of the external female sexual organs, so that readers may un<;lerstand better what exactly goes on.

Female genitals

The female sexual organs consist of the following:

• The labia majora, which are two elongated folds of skin extending from the pubis to the perineum into which they merge. They are composed of adipose and osseous tissues, a network of sensitive nerves, and secretion glands. The labia majora receive a great amount of blood.
  

• The labia minora, which are two folds of tender skin located between the labia majora. They also receive a considerable amount of blood. In the rear they meet with the hymen and in the front they meet together and enfold the clitoris. Between the labia minora, the urine and vagina apertures are located.

• The clitoris is an organ subject to erection, exactly like the penis. It is extremely sensitive and has a very extensive neural network. It is composed of cancellous tissues and receives a very good amount of blood. As already mentioned, it is located at the point where the labia minora meet in the front. Its base is about one inch from the urine aperture. The clitoris is not created in vain; it performs a very important natural function, for it gets erect the same way as the male organ. When this happens, blood flows into the labia majora and the glands begin to excrete a liquid to facilitate sexual intercourse and allow the woman to enjoy it. All these sexual organs function to achieve a purpose which is more sublime than many believe, and this is done through equal pal1icipation in a highly important biological function.

How infibulation is performed

    Let us now look at what may happen when infibulation is performed. The operation calls for cutting off most of the labia majora and the complete removal of the labia minora and the clitoris. When this is done, a match is placed in the labia majora aperture. After the wound has healed, a small opening is left, from which urine comes out. At the age of puberty, menstrual blood is let out of the same opening. At the end of this operation, when the match is already placed, the girl's legs are tied together for forty days to make sure that the wound heals well.
    Thus, quite simply, a woman is deprived of her genitals and denied the most basic element of life. Her life becomes one complex on top of another, and the house is filled with needless problems. Denying a woman the ability to share the pleasure makes her more negative. Denying her the relaxation of nerves which accompanies proper sexual intercourse creates in her feelings of great anxiety and loss. In turn, such negativity and such feelings of loss give rise to psychological, physical, and sexual disorders. An inferiority complex, a feeling of negativity, and an awareness that the man is the dominant master, the one who feeds with a spoon of gold, combine to gradually cancel her role in society. At the same time, feelings of weakness, negativity, and pain in the marital bed are certain to make her experience various sexual problems, such as sexual frigidity, which is nowadays a real crisis and the root of many domestic problems.

Harmful effects of infibulation

    The above is a brief account of the indirect problems. The direct effects of infibulation are the following:-

• Surgical shock, by which is meant the sudden drop in all functions of the body. There are many types of shock that produce the same effect, but an external shock is often the result of surgery performed without anaesthetics, and that is exactly what infibulation is. As a result of the great drop in blood pressure and in the activity of the respiratory system, this shock might end the girl's life. Or it may give the girl a psychologica1]y painful memory, which haunts her a1] her life. It makes her afraid of sex and can only regard it as a vice. The concept that her sexual organs are dispensable and the great joy of her family when they are removed will undoubtedly implant that attitude towards sex in her head.
  

• Bleeding, which results from ignorance on the part of the midwife of the great amount of blood that feeds that part of the female body. Many innocent girls have been the victims of this widespread ignorance.
  

• Infiammation and putridif)~, which are caused by ignorance of even the simplest rules of hygiene. Putridity is caused by microbes that live with us in our bodies and in the instruments we use. The genitals are the area of the body where the highest percentage of microbes exist. An unsterilized or semi-sterilized knife is full of poisonous and harmful microbes.
  

• Retention of the urine and of the menstrual blood. During this noxious operation, the urine aperture is liable to infection, being so close to the clitoris, which causes urine to be retained in the early days after the operation. The aperture may also be so narrow when the wound heals that urine and menstrual blood cannot be discharged. No further explanation is required, for everybody knows what this means.
  

• Puerperal.fever. A scalpel always has to be used to enlarge the vaginal opening at childbirth and allow the child to be delivered. This is sufficient exposure of the poor mother to the hazards of puerperal fever. It also causes psychological complications due to the pain the woman suffers at every childbirth, which in turn causes dystocia. I believe we all know that contractions of the womb are the basic factor in delivering the child. Fear stops these contractions or makes them highly infrequent, which places the delivering mother at the mercy of a caesarean operation.
  

• Sterility. Statistics clearly show that 20-25% of the cases of sterility in Sudan are caused by this terrible operation, which narrows the vaginal aperture to the greatest possible extent.
  

• In addition to all this, there is the psychological pain infibulation causes through the incision and sewing that the woman undergoes every time she gives birth. This should be more than sufficient.

Pharaonic circumcision as viewed in Islamic law.

This form of female circumcision is an Ancient Egyptian habit, which was common in particular in the age of Ramses, more than 1000 years before Christ. It was introduced into the Sudan with the Egyptian conquests of the Nuba country . The kings of Nuba in turn conquered Egypt, and the custom of infibulation spread throughout the Nile Valley .
    The custom obviously does not exist in other countries. Female circumcision, whether in the form of infibulation or any other form, is not known at all in the countries of north-west Africa, the countries of Greater Syria, Iraq, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, or Yemen.
    There is nothing in Islamic law that prevents the abandoning of the simple form of female circumcision. As for Pharaonic circumcision (infibulation), it is a major crime, and if performed, full blood money has to be paid in compensation. It is a cardinal sin, and any person who performs it is damned.
    Pharaonic circumcision is a devilish idea promoted by Satan. God says: They (the pagans) only appeal to mere female deities instead of Him; they appeal but to Satan, the persistent rebel. God has cursed him, and he had said, "Of your servants I shall take my due share and lead them astray.  I will fill them with vain desires and order them to slit the ears of cattle. I shall order them to tamper with God's creation". Whoever chooses Satan, rather than God, as his protector, sliffers an irredeemable loss (4:117-19).
    The Prophet (pbuh) says "Tattoo-makers are cu!sed by God. .." and goes on, adding all those who "tamper with God's creation". A tattoo is done by using a needle to puncture the skin and sprinkling it with some kind of colouring that makes it green. It is a cardinal sin. A tattooed spot is impure and the impurity has to be removed by cutting the skin off, if possible, and if there is no serious risk. All the practices mentioned in the hadith are forbidden, and so are practices of similar nature. Pharaonic circumcision is one of these; indeed there is even more reason for it to be prohibited. The hadith give evidence that any person who performs
such practices is damned, confirming that each of them constitutes a cardinal sin, because it is a form of altering God's creation. Abdullah ibn Mas'oud, a Companion of the Prophet (pbuh), says something to this effect, as reported by both Al-Bukhari and Muslim, and confirmed by Al-Nawawi and Al-Qurtubi. A woman t blamed Ibn Mas'oud for cursing women engaged in such practices. He answered, "Why should I refrain from cursing those cursed by the Prophet (pbuh) himself. I have support in God's Book, where He says: Do whatever God's Messenger (pbuh)  bids you, and refrain from whatever he forbids you (59:7).
    So a man who allows his daughter to be subjected to circumcision in the :1 manner now common in the Sudan, namely infibulation, is damned in Islamic law. He commits a major crime and cardinal sin. The same is true of any mother or woman who performs it. It is stupid and foolish for a father to say, "I do not interfere in such a thing, for it is a matter for women to decide", thus ignoring the saying of the Prophet (pbuh) that "Each of you is a guardian, and each is responsible for his charges." In Al-Bukhari's and Muslim's version of this hadith, bother parents are included as bearing such responsibility. Such a father would also be ignoring the hadith which says, "Whenever any of you witnesses an abomination, let him rectify it with his hand; if he cannot, then with his tongue. ..". A father can rectify the abomination by suing the woman who has performed infibulation, even if she is his own mother, and having her brought before court. God, if He pleases, will reward him when he does that for obeying His order to have abominations in society rectified, and for observing God's injunction: Believers, stand outfinnly for justice and bear true witness before God, even against yoLtrselves, your parents, or your kill. Whether the man illvolved i.'i rich or poor, God call best take care of both (4: 135).
    Some people, failing to see the issue correctly, may think that Pharaonic circumcision leads to chastity and protects the girl concerned. If it were so, God would create women with closed passages. But He creates them in the best possible form, and "no one can be keener to maintain virtue than God".
    When the colonial authorities tried to stop this savage practice, some people, with a superficial outlook, thought the British meant to harm them and were interfering in their private affairs. They forgot that the Prophet ~ tells us: "Accept wisdom, and do not worry what container it has come out of'. This means that even if it comes out of the mouth of a sinner or an unbeliever, wisdom should be taken, and its source does not reduce its value.
    The tragedies of Pharaonic circumcision which people talk of and are sometimes published in the press constitute a great burden for us all. They are an abomination too great to tolerate. Here is an example of a lady complaining in the Abnaa al-sudan newspaper. She says:
       My problem is that I feel angry and get mad at everything other than my three children. I cannot stand to see my husband, who loves me. I cannot stand to touch him or to go to bed with him. I cannot stand him. I cannot stand him. I hate men. I hate sex. I find no satisfaction in it whatsoever. I am not moved at all, when I have intercourse with my husband as happens with other couples. Dear editor, I do not know the secret why I loathe my hus- band, the secret of my frigidity when we have intercourse, of my anger and resentment, of my contemplating suicide. Does anybody know? Is there any remedy.
       I hope so, and I impatientJy await your answer.

Yours truly,
A.M.A. Abbasiya, Omdurman
                                               

That is the lady's complaint. The editor tells her that it is wrong to contemplate suicide and that she should drive such notions out of her head because suicide never solves any problem. We also tell this lady that if this sinister practice of Pharaonic circumcision is not the basic reason for her feelings, it is certainly a major factor. This is a fault and a crime committed by her parents, and it is a sufficient punishment for them to be included in God's curse mentioned by the Prophet (pbuh).
    You hear of many ladies like this one. InAI-Sudan al-jadid newspaper, a story was published about a young man who got married. Five days after the wedding he killed his wife because it was rumoured that he could not have sex with her. He believed the wife was the origin of the rumour and that was why he killed her. Many young men are prevented, for several months, by this ugly practice from getting on with their wives. Praise be to God, who has created man in the best possible form and distinguished him with reason from all animals.
    One night recently, my little son came to me crying. His friend's mother was having great difficulty in her labour and no midwife was available to help her. Without help, she soon died. Her little children were all crying. I was greatly touched by this story and believed that if I died that night, I would be punished by God. I therefore determined to deal again with the subject of infibulation. The talk with my son reminded me of a conversation I had with Dr Abu Shamma, former under-secretary of the Ministry of Health. I had gone to him at the Ministry and asked him to recruit women who are efficient in performing female circumcision from abroad to come to Sudan. He answered, "That is not possible.  We have given other countries the impression that Sudan is a civilized country, k and that female circumcision is only practised in one small part of Sudan, and that soon it will be stopped altogether". He then added, "Women should be able to give birth by themselves, naturally, just as animals do. It is much to be regretted that Sudanese women have to have surgery every time they deliver. When a woman lives in a remote area and no midwife or physician is available, she will certainly die". It is clear from Dr Abu Shamma's words that he shared my conviction on this issue.
    Let these words reach the ears of these imbeciles who value, and give importance to, corrupt family habits and traditions more than Islamic legislation and who are similar to those whom God describes when He says: 11 they see the right path, they do not follow it (7: 146).

 The remedy I suggest for this odious crime

    Since Pharaonic circumcision is closely related to personal and family matters, entailing great haml for both wife and husband, and since scholars all agree on the necessity of stopping excuses and measures that lead to corruption, I hope a law will be passed by which female circumcision, whether the Pharaonic form (infibulation) or any other form, is utterly banned. I also hope that this law will stipulate that it is for the judges of religious courts to review any case related to female circumcision, when somebody violates the ban, because it has a close relationship with the personal and family laws.
    The public know well that a judge in a religious court passes his judgements according to Islamic law. Therefore, if such a judge is in charge of a sensitive issue like this one, people are more likely to accept the matter and to observe his rulings. But no, by your Lord, they do not truly believe unless they seek your arbitration in all their disputes, have no quabns about accepting your verdicts, and entirely submit (4:65).
    Since Pharaonic circumcision is a major crime in Islamic law, it entails the payment of the full amount of blood money. Scholars say: "Full blood money is required when a woman' s labia are removed; otherwise, a verdict". This means that if the labia are not completely removed, and only part of them is cut off, a verdict imposing the punishment he finds most appropriate should be passed by a judge, according to his discretion, so that it may serve as a deterrent against this savage practice.
    When a judge has detemlined that what was perfomled is indeed infibulation, he should order the person who perfomled it to be arrested and placed in prison if he wishes, until she pays the full amount of blood money to the victim. This woman is the one responsible, having not been forced to perform the savage act. Scholars are unanimous in the view that the clansmen do not have to pay collectively the blood money for an intentional act, and that the criminal alone should be made to pay.
    The judge should then invite the parents to appear before him and to discipline them as he deems proper, for the hadith quoted in Al-Bukhari's and Muslim's authentic anthologies regards them as accomplices of the woman who commits the crime.
    This woman should also pay, in addition to the blood money, compensation for the defect of atresia, that is narrowness of vagina, that she has caused to the girl. This is one of the four defects which, scholars agree, give a husband the right to reject a mariage even if he consummates it, when he has not been informed of it beforehand.
    All of us should take a vow that we will never allow female circumcision to be performed on our daughters, since it is not something ordained by God and, from the point of view of Islamic law, there is nothing to prevent it being abandoned. In addition to Qbserving !slamic law, let us help in promoting better awareness among people through all legitimate media, such as radio and television. Let speakers at mosques advise parents and explain to them how Islam views Pharaonic circumcision, pointing out that it is an abomination and a cardinal sin, entailing the payment of full blood money. Let them make it clear that a person who performs it is damned and that such a person, as well as those who order it and who know of it and do not speak up, is required to repent his crimes. Let people fear God in dealing with their little daughters. Muslim people continue to be safe as long as they recommend good deeds to each other and discourage each other from abominable acts. I hope many wise people, who listen to things that are said and follow the best, will respond to this invitation. God guides whomever He wishes to the right path.