Maine: 8 women, including 2 children, have suffered FGM; ACLU opposes attempts to criminalize it
“The
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Maine said FGM legislation is
not worth expanding the criminal code. They released a statement saying,
‘This bill is nothing more than an attempt to single out behavior that
is commonly attributed to certain religious and ethnic communities as
different from other forms of abuse.'”
“Certain religious and ethnic communities,” eh? Which ones? And is this behavior acceptable when it comes from them as opposed to others?
Here is the “religious community” that approves of female genital mutilation:
“Circumcision is obligatory (for every male and female) (by cutting off the piece of skin on the glans of the penis of the male, but circumcision of the female is by cutting out the bazr ‘clitoris’ [this is called khufaadh ‘female circumcision’]).” — ‘Umdat al-Salik e4.3, translated by Mark Durie, The Third Choice, p. 64
Why is it obligatory? Because Muhammad is held to have said so: “Abu al- Malih ibn Usama’s father relates that the Prophet said: ‘Circumcision is a law for men and a preservation of honour for women.’” — Ahmad Ibn Hanbal 5:75
“Narrated Umm Atiyyah al-Ansariyyah: A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to her: ‘Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband.’” — Abu Dawud 41:5251
“Do not cut severely,” but not “Do not cut.”
That’s why it is so common around the world, and why it is certain to become increasingly common in the United States, particularly with help from the ACLU, which doubtless wants to avoid appearing to be “Islamophobic.”
“FGM is being treated in Maine, and the state legislature shot down the bill that was trying to stop it,” by Caroline McKee, Circa, July 5, 2017:
“Certain religious and ethnic communities,” eh? Which ones? And is this behavior acceptable when it comes from them as opposed to others?
Here is the “religious community” that approves of female genital mutilation:
“Circumcision is obligatory (for every male and female) (by cutting off the piece of skin on the glans of the penis of the male, but circumcision of the female is by cutting out the bazr ‘clitoris’ [this is called khufaadh ‘female circumcision’]).” — ‘Umdat al-Salik e4.3, translated by Mark Durie, The Third Choice, p. 64
Why is it obligatory? Because Muhammad is held to have said so: “Abu al- Malih ibn Usama’s father relates that the Prophet said: ‘Circumcision is a law for men and a preservation of honour for women.’” — Ahmad Ibn Hanbal 5:75
“Narrated Umm Atiyyah al-Ansariyyah: A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to her: ‘Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband.’” — Abu Dawud 41:5251
“Do not cut severely,” but not “Do not cut.”
That’s why it is so common around the world, and why it is certain to become increasingly common in the United States, particularly with help from the ACLU, which doubtless wants to avoid appearing to be “Islamophobic.”
“FGM is being treated in Maine, and the state legislature shot down the bill that was trying to stop it,” by Caroline McKee, Circa, July 5, 2017:
Eight women in Maine have been treated for complications related to female genital mutilation (FGM), including two minors, according to 2016 MaineCare records.
Local FGM legislation has been introduced in states across the country, and in Maine it was presented by State Representative Heather Sirocki. Her bill would make it a Class B crime to perform FGM on a female under 18 years of age for non-medical purposes or for a parent, guardian, or caretaker to allow FGM to be done on a girl in their custody.State Rep. Sirocki said, “We know that FGM has been treated here in the state of Maine because I have the MaineCare billing codes and information to prove it.”
The bill, LD745 “An Act to Prohibit Female Genital Mutilation,” had six amendments submitted from the state House and Senate, but ultimately failed in a 74-73 vote on June 23.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Maine said FGM legislation is not worth expanding the criminal code. They released a statement saying, “This bill is nothing more than an attempt to single out behavior that is commonly attributed to certain religious and ethnic communities as different from other forms of abuse.”
“Opposition has to do more with questioning my character, the character of some of the people supporting the bill, and our intentions and motivations as being related to a hate bill,” Sirocki said. “I would say to them they are correct – I hate child abuse. So if that’s their angle, I take issue with that, and would again strongly state that little girls are being horribly abused under the name of a cultural tradition that we do not support here in this country.”
“We believe FGM is a serious problem in Maine but believe that the solutions are not as straight forward as those proposed in the bill,” said Cara Courchesne, the Communications Director with the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault in a statement.
“Currently, many legal experts believe that FGM is already illegal in Maine, under the broader heading of aggravated assault (Aggravated Assault: “Bodily injury to another that causes serious, permanent disfigurement or loss or substantial impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.’)”…
“If it is happening, we want it to stop. And we want to send that clear message that we do not do that here in this country,” Sirocki said.
The Maine Prosecutors Association came out strongly in favor of this bill, to clarify and specifically identify this as a crime, with a clear level of crime attributed to both the person doing the cutting as well as the parents who are accomplices.
Originally seen as a developing world problem, the recent case in Michigan brought attention that FGM is happening in many communities across the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health (OWH) dedicated part of a more than $6 million grant to the Maine Access Immigrant Network in Portland and Lewiston, Maine….
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