Opinion: In Defense of Mutilation

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A few weeks ago the Times editorial board applauded the good news that momentum against female genital cutting/mutilation is finally gaining speed in parts Africa. That’s still the case but, as this debate aired on TV in Egypt shows, there’s still a long way to go.

Don’t be fooled by the disputants’ attire, because they’re dressed all wrong for their parts. The university professor in the suit and tie is the defender of ancient ways, basing his pro-mutilation position on religious grounds. The hijab-swathed woman is the modernist, who tries (and fails) to haul the professor into the 21st century by dwelling on the harm and shame the practice causes girls and women.

The professor is not unkind or inhuman though. Of course girls should not be taken to the local village woman to be tortured without anesthesia, he agrees. Rather, they should be taken to hospitals and turned over to licensed doctors who specialize.

And then there’s his solution for what to do if a girl’s jeans are just a little too tight...