Why does it have to be tradition OR torture? It can be both.

The following quotation is taken from Reliance of the Traveller, Revised edition, amana publications, Beltsville, 1997. The title page informs us that this book is   The Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law ‘Umdat al-Salik
by Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri (d. 769/1368) in Arabic with
Facing English Text, Commentary, and Appendices
Edit ed and Translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller
In this book, in the section titled "THE BODY", we find on page 59 the following entry: Nuh Hah Mim Keller's TranslationArabic O riginal e4.3    Circumcision is obligatory (O: for both men and women. For men it consists of removing the prepuce from the penis, and for women, removing the prepuce (Ar. Bazr) of the clitoris (n: not the clitoris itself, as some mistakenly assert). (A: Hanbalis hold that circumcision of women is not obligatory but sunna, while Hanafis consider it a mere courtesy to the husband.)" The above used abbreviations mean: A: ... comment by Sheikh 'Abd al-Wakil Durubi Ar. Arabic n: ... remark by the translator O: ... excerpt from the commentary of Sheikh 'Umar Barakat However what the Arabic actually says is: 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 clitoris
(this is called HufaaD). {bold emphasis ours} The Arabic word bazr does not mean "prepuce of the clitoris", it means the clitoris itself (cf. the entry in the Arabic-Engl ish Dictionary). The deceptive translation by Nuh Hah Mim Keller, made for Western consumption, obscures the Shafi’i law, given by ‘Umdat al-Salik, that circumcision of girls by excision of the clitoris is mandatory. This particular form of female circumcision is widely practiced in Egypt, where the Shafi’i school of Sunni law is followed.  

"This practice is not ordained by Islam, or commanded anywhere in Quran. This is a completely un-islamic practice. Most muslims do not practice female genital mutilation. In fact female genital mutilation is considered an evil practice by most muslims. This practice is primarily rooted in tradition, mainly in Africa and its adjacent countries. Therefore, people in these countries( muslims and nonmuslims) engage in this practice out of tradition. However, because of their long tradition, at some point they start assuming that it's a religious practice." Shut the hell up you ignorant lying idiot, female genital mutilation was introduced by the arabs in Africa. The whole idea is centred around jealous husbands not wanting their wives to become sexually stimulated and promiscious. But they the muslim husbands can marry up to eight wives. What a bunch of dessert dumbells. 

This practice is not ordained by Islam, or commanded anywhere in Quran. This is a completely un-islamic practice. Most muslims do not practice female genital mutilation. In fact female genital mutilation is considered an evil practice by most muslims. This practice is primarily rooted in tradition, mainly in Africa and its adjacent countries. Therefore, people in these countries( muslims and nonmuslims) engage in this practice out of tradition. However, because of their long tradition, at some point they start assuming that it's a religious pract ice. 

"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."  If these barbarians wish to mutilate their women, then them do it back in their own countries and answer to God for it.  Why should we in the West be forced to accomodate something which is fundamentally anathema for us?  They don't even allow Westerners to drink alcohol in their Muslim homelands and enforce it strictly without criticism from us, but we must allow them their practices in our countries?  No, it is wrong and one-eyed!  Let them make up their minds where they wish to live and by whose rules they wish to live.

Some people need to be circumcised, cough, even though Jesus didn't like it, lamenting that it was a "New Creation not Circumcision." galatians 6:15 I'm surprised that they don't use that verse more.

I'm confused about whatever you're going on about, MinaJuJu, because I don't see anybody outright calling anyone inferior (I'm not disagreeing with you, I just don't understand where that came from because I take a while to catch on; sorry buddy.) And hey, Thousand, I understand it's not an entirely Islamic practice. I don't know as much about different cultures as I'd like, but, just saying. At least one other person commenting understands this *flail* Anyway, about the practice itself, I just don't support this kind of torture on anyone for any reason :( These children should be protected. Ignoring that the reasons themselves seem sexist and ludicrous in the first place, nothing but physical and emotional trauma can come out of it. Nobody should be forced to go through something like that *shudder* It really is mutilation. That's not the same thing as circumcision. I've read/heard about it before. Granted, I'm not expert, nor do I claim to be one. Only giving an opinion. I'm all for cultural differences, traditions, being proud of your heritage and all that, but this doesn't have anything to do with being proud of who you are or celebrating your heritage. It's like reducing women to animals and saying they don't even have the right to say what happens to their own bodies.

I find it funny how people find some countries to be inferior because they somehow put up with a "dress code" or some of these 'free' countries with their people assume things all the time. I am pretty sure half the people here are US citizens with no knowledge of any other place of the world, just assuming everything they see on the news or reading bias articles with no religious texts to back up their information. I am a US citizen myself, and if no one has realized, Muslim women seem more oppressed and tortured in what they thought was going to be a "free country", but unfortunately, places like UK and France banned what they required most. And these countries are called free? If no one realized, these "mutilations", are forced on children. They did not choose to, and it's a cultural idea. I find it so amusing that Kenneth W. assumes that countries with "dress codes" are for satisfying "egos" Okay and is American not a country that is satisfying the majority of peoples' egos? The controversy of abortions? Dress codes in some public schools? (Joseph B. Cavallaro Middle School)? And the new century? This century just started 10 years ago. Hellooo peopleeee! According to the Quran, men and women of all color were accepted in society. Most of the famous companions of the prophet were African. And how long did it take for African Americans to get their rights in this "modernized" and "in-the-century" country? Like 40 years ago or something? How hard did women have to fight to get their rights to vote and not be the "housewife live" of the old days? And now that everyone is satisfied with the needs of American citizens and their egos, we have rape, child abuse, sex offenders, half naked women, sex selling, secret societies, drunk driving, domestic violence, etc. Congratulations for the ego?

This is so embarrassing, at least to Muslims. I mean seriously, women in hijab performing female circumcision. Everyone here must realize that these women are South-Asia, not even Arabs.. so lets not make stereotypes. What's more embarrassing is that the girl's legs are being shown publicly, which is utterly immodest and not Islamically permitted, especially at the puberty age. If she did not go through puberty, she shouldn't even be covering. And what is worse is that we all realize these women cover, and therefore, one would make an assumption that they are probably Muslims. What's really distasteful about this article is that it shows images of Muslim women performing this operation, yet have no proof or verses of what the Quran or Hadith says anything about female circumcision and whether it is accepted or not. Therefore, this shows the one-sidedness of the story, and just cause ignorant readers to assume this is entirely an Islamic practice. For example, like my old friend who used to assume this same except thing, yet she has tons of Muslim friends who never went through this procedure. And already we have people like Roger J and leonidas who assumes it's entirely an Islamic practice with no cultural bases at all. Lets not forget all those Middle Age torturing methods that have nothing whatsoever to do with Islam or even the Asian countries.. Where mostly Europeans were hanging people naked, ripping breasts off of women with the breast ripping tools, and having people sit on spikes, etc. And I agree with mark, if it's for females, it's totally a mutilation but for males, it's not mutilating. I am not for female "mutilating", but I am pretty sure leonidas is wrong about "1,400 years ago", because many many distinct and minor cultures were doing it way before Islam was brought to the world. And don't be such a fool thinking that just because a few people do it, that everyone does. Days of Ignorance all over again!

When people use god as a reason to commit such barbarity, it scares me to the core. Any person who commits this barbaric act, ROT IN HELL!