The Widespread Practice of Female Circumcision in Iraq's North Highlights The Plight of Women in a Region Often Seen as More Socially Progressive. Launch Photo Gallery
Sheelan Anwar Omer, a shy 7-year-old Kurdish girl, bounded into her neighbor's house with an ear-to-ear smile, looking for the party her mother had promised.
There was no celebration. Instead, a local woman quickly locked a rusty red door behind Sheelan, who looked bewildered when her mother ordered the girl to remove her underpants. Sheelan began to whimper, then tremble, while the women pushed apart her legs and a midwife raised a stainless-steel razor blade in the air. "I do this in the name of Allah!" she intoned.
As the midwife sliced off part of Sheelan's genitals, the girl let out a high-pitched wail heard throughout the neighborhood. As she carried the sobbing child back home, Sheelan's mother smiled with pride.
Read more at: washingtonpost.com
There was no celebration. Instead, a local woman quickly locked a rusty red door behind Sheelan, who looked bewildered when her mother ordered the girl to remove her underpants. Sheelan began to whimper, then tremble, while the women pushed apart her legs and a midwife raised a stainless-steel razor blade in the air. "I do this in the name of Allah!" she intoned.
As the midwife sliced off part of Sheelan's genitals, the girl let out a high-pitched wail heard throughout the neighborhood. As she carried the sobbing child back home, Sheelan's mother smiled with pride.
Read more at: washingtonpost.com
Posts
First of all I think who ever published this thing is very stupid. Because first of all u broke the child’s religion and second you did something her mom and her dad will be sad for the rest of their lives. Did you have any idea what going to happen if the "world" sees this girl naked like that?? Her mom and dad will be very sad of what u did and I have to say that I’m a Kurdish girl too. But we don’t do this stuff to Kurdish girls, because we don’t have this religion as they have and when the lady says in the name of Allah, then she lies because Allah never sad this is legal and he never said that we Kurdish people shall do this with our little girls.. This is not something written in the Quran. These people haven’t seen the world yet, they know nothing about human rights and this is not something right. I know that this is not our religion and this is not our culture. We don’t have any culture like this. So who ever did this to their little girl, I can’t say its not right because maybe they believe in this. But I have to say that it’s not a Muslim thing!!!! So please don’t think wrong of Kurdish people. When some one publishes something like this people say well every Kurdish people does this and it’s not true. It maybe 4% of Kurdish people who lives in somewhere in a village far from the Muslim people. They build their own thing and own culture.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stopfgmkurdistan.org/
Deleteyeah mee too.. we kurdish ppl dont do this such of things ..so remove this link itsnot right to publish something which is not ture,, if it is true u shall not publish like this u shall write how many % of the kurdish ppl do this before u publish just KURDISH GIRL::
ReplyDeleteI think that removal of the clitoris is a good procedure, it looks better and makes a happy marriage.
ReplyDeleteclitoredectomy is barbaric and violete the young and later woman sexuality, has no medical backing or even religion. you can tell the poor girl innocent was taken in a flash
ReplyDeleteThe look of horror in her percious fave just made me puke. literally. this is disgusting. who would do this to their child?? MONSTERS!UGH
ReplyDeleteThis is such a lie.. only a couple of kurdish people in the world do this.. so shut the fuck up to the others that think all kurds do this cuz they dont!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stopfgmkurdistan.org/
DeleteThis articale is nothing but lies. It is known that MUSLIM familes perform this action however, it isn't limited to kurdish people. If it is looked at from a cultures point of view pakista,bangladash,afganistan,and other surrounding countries perform this more than kurdish people. However, it used to be done NOT ANY MORE.Also, this practice has no benifit what so ever medically. It will not decrease the urge of having sexual relationship, infact it is bond to increase the urge and force girls to make mistakes in life. Also as far as marriage goes, it will create problems, beacuse that woman won't be able to feel the husbands pleasure and therfore the hsuband will not be able to give himself to her completely. Whom ever posted this artical, please reserch and then post in the future.Thanks.
ReplyDeletei honestly think that this is wonderful that it has been published. it needs to be stopped, you are sitting here saying the parents will be "sad" cause there daughter is naked & yet it is ok to let them scrape off there genitals? you have your morals very mixed up. who would want to put there child, niece or whatever throught this pain especially if they have been through it & if any young girls read this. NO it is NOT right in any way and you need to find help if it is gong to be done to you or anyone you know. there is plenty of help for you i promise. so your religous views are whack they are unbelivable & just mean. you are lying to these girls how is that right? does your religion teach you that it is alright to lie cause you are!! && i support who ever put this up.
ReplyDeleteAt first we should consider why this action happens there? Does Islam require that? Well, Turkish and Kurdish Muslims whom are living in Turkey and Azerbaijan will say there can not be such thing in the religion. I ask many Kurdish elders they just laugh at me "if women can be circumcistanted" some elders answers "if they had a penis" etc. circumcision required in both Islam and Judaism. Only (Muslim and Jewish) man can be circumcistanted. In Turkey some orthodox churches requires mans circumcision too. Inner and western part of Turkey totally condemns women genital cutting as circumcision. Turkish also Kurdish imams (religion mans) says that there is no such think in Quran (Muslim religion book like bible) and there is no such order delivered by Muhammad(SAV)(prophet of Islam). They had no idea about until Iraqi Kurds try the practice this openly. But problem is why people in Turkey and Azerbaijan condemns women circumcision and supports man circumcision? Why women circumcision is not supported in Turkey and Azerbaijan? What is the difference between Turkey and Iraq? Even we should consider about why boys circumcision celebrating openly by families and why girl circumcision happens hidden? This action is last point of social hegemony on women. And Muslim countries which women have their rights like Turkey or Azerbaijan, people they even did not imagine that such women circumcision can be possible. While I was asking about, many people asks me, "how they cut it?" or "which part are they cutting?" or mainly "how is that could be possible?" I met some elders from Armenian and Yezhidi minorities, whom lives at near by the border of Iraq, only they have knowledge about there is such circumcision happens in Iraq, even there is no knowledge if it happens in Syria too.. So we have to support women rights in Arabic countries including Africa and Indonesia, women circumcision or women genital cutting is could be a important start point for this. We cant say this happens because it is a part of the culture or religion. Because it is not part of the religion. It is a learned way to control women (and get under their hegemony) at the most personal point. After then we should talk about violence and discrimination against women more.
ReplyDeletekurds dosen't do this your idiot!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis page needs to be removed, either you do it yourself, or we will report you for discrimination, racism and the privacy of this girl under the law of Data Proyection Act 1998, so before you get done for this, you might aswell take it off!!
ReplyDeleteThis is no kurdisch tradition man never heared of that in kurdistan maybe this is maid by muhabbits but 80% of kurds are sunni muslems
ReplyDeleteIve seen alot in my life. alot. really. but this. has made me sick really.
ReplyDeletewow, I don't really care about which ethnic group it is that does this. Obviously it's happening because this picture is here, I found this page after doing some research for a paper there are plenty of other resources out there that all state the same thing, FMG happens mostly to women in Africa and Southwest Asia. Overall it's a terrible practice and it's heartbreaking to think that some people still think like this and practice these things. That little girl's face brought tears to my eyes, absolutely atrocious.
ReplyDelete*FGM-femal genital mutilation, just correcting my typo from the post above.
ReplyDeleteThose who defend this practice are either evil or stupid or both
ReplyDeleteBelieve that is not a common thing in kurdistan, its just a few people who live in uncivilised little villiages with about the population of 50 people. So don't go around posting rbbish like this as kurdish culture becuase it is anything but that.
ReplyDeleteI agree thats its not right tarr certain ethnic groups with the same brush but i feel you are missing the point of the article. The point was not to "label" or "point the finger" at ethnic groups, it was to simply inform people like me of what goes on in different parts of the world.
ReplyDeleteI have a daughter and couldn't ever imagine putting her through such needless pain. I find it an odd and upseting practice and wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
I don't care WHO requires it, torturing children is EVIL and WRONG and ya know what? I just might start my own f'ing religion. The religion that says "In the name of The Creator, the one made it possible for you to have that child, the child you are SUPPOSED to protect from harm, I will now CUT OFF YOUR FUCKING HEAD AND SHIT DOWN YOUR NECK, and take your child somewhere were she will be LOVED and protected from the likes of you. Now go see Allah or whoever the FUCK you believe in, I'll raise this child in LOVE, GOD'S LOVE doesn't harm children, PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
ReplyDeleteIt doesnt matter what religion, culture or whatever you are... this post isnt being racist, or prejudice... it is saying that this practice is WRONG ... and everyone who does it is WRONG... this is absolutely horrific. If my mother put me through this she would not be my mother. Unfortunately these poor girls don't know any better. And, have to suffer further issues down the road. I spoke with a muslem girl today. The first i heard of this. She said she has had many issues with womanhood because not only do they cut the clitoris off. They stitch some girls nearly closed. This needs to be STOPPED!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure a man wouldn't appreciate it if his family cut off his penis. It doesn't "look" better, genitals weren't meant to be attractive, they were meant to give pleasure and to aid in reproduction. It feels better, for the man at least, but imagine how painful it is for a woman. Women are just as sexual as men, we're simply not allowed to express it because of social norms. Female genital mutilation is a way to make sex a chore for women, rather than the enjoyable activity it should be. Genital mutulation is a way of isolating and making sure women (erroniously) know men's sexual desires should override theirs.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a good idea to post this because everyone should know whats going on in the world... this is very wrong and nasty... and so what if her parents see this it was their choice to do it to their child in the first place. And she is not nake!!!! to someone u stated it in the previous comments.. this is disguising,nasty,not fair... the people who do this is cold hearted!!!! they should all be put in jail or something... god gave us body parts and everything for a reason... and that means we use them... im not saying to be a whore or anything but u shouldnt do what u do to these kids or people.. IT IS WRONG AND NEEDS TO BE STOP
ReplyDeleteFGM is happening all over the world and we need to remember that these are just kids... innocent children who should be loved for who they are and AS THE HIGHER POWER MADE THEM... MAN started this tortorous act for their OWN insecurities and to control woman. Parents - especially MOTHERS need to sit and think about HOW this tradition came to be and stop carrying on a legacy of pain. It is NOT the same as a male circumcision (which increases sexual pleasure). Please STOP AND THINK BEFORE COMMITTING THIS ACT! the sad thing is that more than likely those that should see this plea or these messages do not have access. If they were well informed or educated they wouldnt be doing what they are doing...
ReplyDeletethose who do this are exactly the people who should be beheaded. I would do it with pleasure if given a chance. fuck those religious and societies that allow such things
ReplyDeleteThe clitoris must be cutted in a mass circumcision at school
ReplyDeletethis is totally unfair. why cant they just leave the girls alone? i cant believe that some of the religions even allow that. in our country only boys are circumcisied. i know the pain because i have experienced it my self. i really feel sorry for the young women.=(
ReplyDeletethis is stupid bull shit. why dont they just cut off the man's penis?!? they are pretty much doing just that to a womans clitoris. the clitoris is like a penis. so they pretty much just want the female to suffer while the stupid male gets to have all the fun and feeling of sex. i hope this is stopped everywhere and that whoever created this to all burn in hell. especially the men who put this forth since we know their women have no voice.
ReplyDeleteI, as a member of the Amnesty Inernational have done a VAST amount of research on FGC and was surprised to find that it is a VERY ancient practice dating back to Cleopatra and the Pharaohs and was weirdly enough woman initiated (but most probably man perpetuated) for the same aesthetic reasons as leg waxing and body piercing were initiated in Anceint Egypt. Another name for female circumcision is Pharaonic Circumcision. It pre-dated ALL the modern religions and is not scripturally required by any of them albeit some of their members might believe it is. Bible, Torah and Qu'ran do NOT mention FGC but that did not prevent Yemenite and Ethipoian Jews, Ethiopian, Kenyan, Egyptian Christians and East African (+ a few other) Muslims from continuing to practice it. At first, having heard it is common in Somalia I assumed it was a Muslim only practice and was left mouth agape when I went to the list of countires (done by WHO) that do not practice FGM and found these countires on it: Albania, Bosnia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lybia, Malaysia, Maldives, Iran, Saudi, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Wow! The list says it has no information of the Levant countries i.e. Lebanon, Jordan, etc but I know a ton of Sunni Lebanese and they say wtf who does that, bastards, not our parents.
ReplyDeleteAnd on my second Eradicate FGC meeting I nearly fainted with shock when our guest speaker said it was a very common practice in the USA during the 50s and to a lesser extent well into the 70 in order to prevent masturbation, short temperdness and lesbianism in young girls. WTF! As if temper and being lesbian have anything to do with clitoris! The only difference was that the clitoris wasn't cut off it was burnt away at a clinic usually on girls aged 1-4 so most don't remember it. I listened to two women one Somalian on elderly from USA on a program called "mom, why did you circumcise me?" I was crying. Understandably, none of the two women speak to their mothers any more. FGC is way more prevalent than we think it is. According to the Waris Dirie foundation's recent findings many Native South American (Mexico, Colombia, Peru) and Aborigine tribes practice FGC with the ritual gang rape afterwards in case of Aborigines.I feel strongly about the issue and think it should be known fully in order to be combated.
Female circucision is not only a Muslim idea, in fact many Muslim people do not practice female circumcision. but female circumcision is done in many remote areas in ethic groups, so to assume that all Kurds are against may not be true either. regardless of who practices this, it must be ended. it causes many mental and physical problems
ReplyDeleteyall are alll fucking psycho, yall are listening to something a man thought of and doing it, Its absolutly absurd. . . . "makes for a happy marriage" What the fuck? Really, did you just say that? Um did you know that the clitoris is the only human part that is strictly for pleasure, if you want a happy marriage pleasure your wife, not just your self you selfish bastard mkay . . . Also this is not a nor should it be considered a religious belief because its not its a man's way of controlling a women . . .How bout we cut a few mens dicks or balls off and see how they like it mkay . . .This is a dangerous procedure, it causes many harms both mental and physical. People who do this to small children or young girls have no respect for human right, life, and dignity. I say stop the violoence against women, because Karma is a bitch and what goes around comes around!
ReplyDeleteWell, whoever said this is not what Kurdish people do are wrong. And guess what? This article is about stopping this practice and not about who does it and where and how and when.. Very smart act of the writer letting people comment on this issue. Looking specifically to comments from Kurds to see how they respond, and all they think about is "You shouldn't put these pictures because everybody will call that little girl a bit*h when she grows up" Well how about you grow up first before "thinking" about the girl and how her future is going to be like. I know exactly what Kurds are thinking right now, and I am so damn right, because I am a Kurdish girl but with no religion. And whoever said this practiced isn't mentioned in Qoran they are right. It isn't mentioned. But you know what else isn't mentioned? Lets make a list ;)
ReplyDelete1) Women must have less freedom.
2) Women must wear scarfs.
3) Women cannot marry a man of another religion.
4) Women cannot wear tight, short clothes.
5) Women cannot have friends that are male.
6) Men can wear whatever they want.
7) Men can date/marry women with different religions.
8) Men can have 2 wives at the same time.
9) Men can have friends that are girls.
10) Etc..
If God knows everything, then why is he testing us? If God is the "Good" guy, why is he letting us suffer?
I don't blame God, after all, it's an opinion that God exists, because we don't know.
But I blame the people! They made such silly rules for themselves. But you know what? If God exists, the people who have made such things in the name of God will be first to enter hell. Because remember, God is the "Good" guy ;) And this world is so unfair. And I'm only talking about those strict religions (Islam). In fact, I am talking about Islam. Nothing is fair in Islam.. Religions like that ruin people's lives with lies and suffer..
And I know I will get comments that support me and ugly comments, but my eyes can only read the nice comments. And I will not reply nor read the comments that are against me.
"Thank you" for those who are "Open-minded"
yoy are wrong in 8....they can have 4 wives!!!
Deletehow bizaree....
das müsste mit allen mädchen geschehen!
ReplyDeleteyour head is fullll offff shittttt....
DeleteMädchen denken nur ans Treiben mit Männern, und um ihnen das abzugewöhnen, muss man sie beschneiden und sie anschließend anständig vernähen, so das nur noch ein kleines Loch zum pipi machen bleibt. wenn sie groß genug sind, und natürlich verheiratet, öffnet man sie eben wider. aber so mit 3 oder 4Jahren sollte man sie eben beschneiden. eine Tradition die unbedigt weiter bestehen, ja verbreitet gehört.
ReplyDeleteThis is REAL, and still practiced by kurdish muslims,KURDS are Evils, I came to know when i myself visited a kurdish village last year, after FMG the small 8 year old girl cants even walk for months, THIS IS ABUSE.
ReplyDeletei liked this article very much, this kind of article help as make aware of the current situation.
A girl's virginity is considered essential to her family's ability to arrange her marriage and receive a brideprice, as well as to family honor. So most Kurdish, for example, a prospective husband's family may have the right to inspect the bride's body prior to marriage, and mothers regularly check their infibulated daughters to ensure that they are still "closed." In this context, parents see both infibulation and early marriage as means of ensuring that their daughter remains "pure" and thus worthy of the brideprice.
ReplyDeleteThis is utter evil, these uneducated stupid bastards of parents should be sent to hell first class if such a place does exist....I'm with that anonymous chick without a religion, religion was made to control your weak minds, telling you what is right and what is wrong because there are dumbasses like these people in this article that don't know shit so they need to be herded like cattle, which all religous people are anyway, cattle to an unseen, unknown shepard, eat your grass and shut up, plain and simple. I was created by something and sent to this reality and a place called a planet, I don't know what made me & I don't know why, but what I do know is that I'm here to live a life until I die, whatever i do in between is my problem and no one can tell me what to do otherwise...., This poor child will grow up deprived of something that was precious to her naturally, if she wanted to be a bitch and screw every guy in the corner, then I'd say screw your heart out, if she wanted to be covered all up with wrapping paper with two holes in it for sight then so be it...I don't give a shit, you shouldn't give a shit, but what you really need to do is defend those that are being shackled by these stupid traditions that sever a souls rightful path to live a life, a life given to them to shape by their own freedom.
ReplyDeleteThis is fucked and you All are fucked leave Kurdish people alone!! I'm Turkish and my people hate on em already all you dumbasses is blv peoples shit and this is what the other wants you to blv so the world be will At war OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is f?ck#%g bulls?@t!
ReplyDeleteFu^+%?%= KURDS!!!
ReplyDeleteAll retarded!
Nope this isn't in muslim religion.. but muslims are the only one doing this wicked shit to their childs. There stand NOTHING in the Koran that women should wear burqas for example. You circumcise boys because it's good for their hygiene, but they circumcise girls beacaue the MAN want to have control over their wives. Fucking sick. If u cant handle a women, then you'r gay. Sorry dude.
ReplyDeletemany Africans who are not Muslims do this too
DeleteGirl 17
ReplyDeleteI am a kurd, and i never heard of kurds doing this to their daugthers?!! a girl told me ones that kurds in iraqi part do, but i couldnt believe it. only few people do this i think, but not more than 1% of kurds do this, and im sure. I told this to my mom ones, and she laughed and said "hows that possible, girls dont have penises".. and the same thing my kurdish friends says too, they never heard of it. Anyways its a really nasty thing you can do to your daugther, its a shame! And its worse when you do it in the name of god, god would never support such a bad action. Sorry for bad english, im from norway.
but it was ok for some jew doctor to cut off the end of my penis. Too bad. The world ain't fair. You don't give a crap about male mutilation in this country so I don't care about female mutilation.
ReplyDeletehate or denial of reality does not make it disappear... women in the area needs more freedom, education and opportunity to live like free humanbeings.
ReplyDeleteThis is just another way for the MAN to control the woman. Over there I wonder just how many men and woman marry for love? Maybe never as love is probably a sin as well. Having the woman to do this seems very selfish of the Man as well as the family. Children are not children, they are a commodity. If they do something that makes the mom or dad look bad they kill them to take away the shame that was brought on by a child that got an A- on a report card. . . Cutting up the pussy has got to hurt like hell and leave a mental scar for life also. Not to mention that it will maybe kill the girl if she can't stop bleeding. And also the older women doing this to their young girls? How quickly we forget what it was like to be a child. I guess the older woman liked having her pussy torn apart and left bleeding half to death. . . just sayin
ReplyDeleteHi i'm a kurdisch girl lifing in kurdistan( northern iraq)...this "ritual" certainly accures in some kurdisch clans....and it's weird to see allll the kurds here deny this thing bcause everyone here knows it...
ReplyDeletewe can't deny this.near 5% off the kurds in northern iraq perform this "ritual"...and most off those girls get infections and other vaginal symptoms sometimes for the rest of their lives :((
It's not a religious thing!!!
All over the word are people who do this horrible thing(haluk...it also happens in turkey.i have family there )and again it's not a religious thing. I just read that a boy said that he did not mind what happend to this girl because he was circumcised against his will but there is a big difference between you and her:now you are able to enjoy sex more when they no longer feel...
it's very ridiculous too see people saying : "Her mom and dad will be very sad of what u did" to the person who put this article here...what about the girllll???
I am a modern girl with a modern family where these things is seen as barbaric and i'm proud to be a kurd buttttttt....thing like this won't disappear by denying!!!!!
((sorry for my english if it is not good))
im Kurdish , and i belong to some of the first kurdish ancestors in my bloodline , but in some places in far dohuk villages , they have people call Isdi , them people are pritty Fucked , this is torture this is nothing kurdish , i think there whole village is fucked :S
ReplyDeleteIt seems that most people agree on the fact that this is wrong. At least there is hope for mankind
ReplyDeleteEven if it was not a Kurdistan ritual, it is still something that the kurdistan government is not working hard enough to eradicate so stop defending your country's honor by dismissing the case in front of you.
Whether you want to believe it or not, all religions tend to deny woman most opportunities for equality. Why? Because it was written by a fckin man!
I mean why not remove the pleasure spot of a man since fcking requires both sexes in participation?
Although religion is a source of good building blocks of morals, it is taught by a bunch of morons who have no sense of logic.
I know this if off topic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is needed to get set up? I'm
ReplyDeleteassuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
I'm not very web smart so I'm not 100% sure. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
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This is stupid!! The clitoris is the main part of the vagina that makes a woman feel good during sex and makes her orgasm. That us the point of sex...to feel pleasure.
ReplyDelete