The Irish Muslim Peace & Integration Council is launching our “Islam & FGM – the facts” campaign to raise awareness of this harmful practice amongst Irish Muslims and encourage them to report any knowledge of it to the authorities.
The poster will be displayed in mosques and Islamic Centres throughout Ireland as well as being promoted on social media to increase the reach of the campaign.
The text on the poster reads:
“Historically, some Muslim scholars merely permitted ‘female circumcision’ as the medical harms associated with it were unknown at that time. Unlike male circumcision, any practices that fall within the remit of FGM or ‘female circumcision’ have no scriptural basis, and have never been obligatory (fard), binding (wajib) or even a recommended practice (sunnah) in the various schools of Islamic legal thought.
Today, we know fully of the many harmful effects of FGM: including difficulty urinating, giving birth and a partial or complete loss of sexual pleasure, as well as the risk of infection and further complications from unsterilised equipment and unqualified practitioners. All reputable medical organisations reject that this practice offers any benefit. Sometimes, this practice is justified as a form of maintaining chastity: in direct contradiction to the basic tenets of Islam, as the Prophet Muhammad clearly stated that a husband should ensure his wife’s physical pleasure.
In light of these medical discoveries, and with reference to this practice being merely permitted by previous scholars, the worldwide seat of Islamic seminaries, Al-Azhar University in Cairo held a 2006 conference – led by the former Grand Mufti of Egypt, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy – where hundreds of Muslim scholars and clerics declared the practice to be un-Islamic and religiously impermissible. Since 2012, FGM is illegal in Ireland, and punishable by a fine of up to €10,000 or imprisonment for up to 14 years or both. This means it is a criminal offence to either perform FGM in Ireland, or to remove someone from the State for the purposes of FGM.
As the Prophet Muhammad said, “Let there be no acceptance or reciprocation of harm” let us take a collective and clear stance to stop this harm being inflicted on young women throughout the world today. IMPIC calls upon all Muslims in Ireland and beyond to stop this practice, and report any knowledge of it to the authorities.”
Note: old entries on this website may refer to the Irish Muslim Peace & Integration Council (IMPIC). IMPIC rebranded as the Irish Muslim Council / Comhairle Mhoslamach na hÉireann in June 2022.