Somali religious affairs ministry says FGM is un-Islamic

Somalia’s ministry for religious affairs has called for a complete end to FGM which has been widely practised in Somalia for over a century.

The minister of religious affairs, Abdulkahdir Sheikh Ali Baghdad said it was a cultural practice that had no place in Islam.

“It is forbidden to cut … a girl because it is like any other part of the body. It is like the eye, tooth or the ears. If you abuse it, it is like you have abused any other part and I will not be ashamed to say it,” he said.

The Somali government this week reaffirmed its commitment to eradicate female genital mutilation in the country, where around 98% of females between 15 and 49 have undergone cutting.

The pledge was made at a forum held in the Somali Capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday and attended by women leaders from all the regions in Somalia, officials from the federal government, representatives from regional states, religious leaders, legislators, clan elders and members of the civil society.

According to Ms. Ifrah Ahmed, the Founder of Ifrah Foundation, the conveners of the meeting, intense lobbying for legislation against FGM will continue. She said her organization would work with the Ministry of Women and Human Rights and partners such as AMISOM, to ensure appropriate legislation is passed.

Female Genital Mutilation is defined by the World Health Organisation as procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut, mostly before they reached puberty. FGM has no health benefits and is recognised as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.