They made this suggestion before the Joint Committee of Health, Gender, Children and Social Welfare, while presenting their position paper on the Women’s Amendment Bill 2015 at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
When she deliberated o the issue, Oustas Ma Binta Ceesay, from the Islamic Enlightenment Society, stressed that Anti FGM advocates should invest their financial resources in ensuring that the circumcisers are trained adequately to be able to do the practice well. “So that we can continue to live our lives in unity and stop going back and forth on this same issue.”
She added that not repealing the law is to stop them from practicing their religious and traditional rights. “We should be allowed to practice what we believe in; the law should be repealed and allow anyone that wants to practice it to do so, and those against it not to do it,” she said.
She further stated that female circumcision is considered legitimate and legal in Islam based on several established ‘hadiths’ on the authority of the Prophet (S.A.W), adding that Muslim jurists have different opinions on whether it is obligatory or a recommended act of Sunnah.
“It was not reported by any of the reliable Muslim scholars denying the legality of female circumcision in the manner prescribed by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),” Cadi Secka stated. “That is because the noble Sharia never recognises anything that causes harm to people, be it health or physical.”
She urged all those who are against the ban to ensure that they engage their National Assembly Members and convince them to vote for the amendment bill. “You should not take this as a joke because if you allow them to get away with this bill, they will come with new bills to paralyse Islam in this country,” she added.
Commenting on the health aspect of FGM, Ceesay argued that Islam only allows female circumcision and not female genital mutilation.
“Many women went through it (circumcision) and they have no complication.”
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