Female Genital Mutilation - News Reports - Know the Truth

Animators Raise Awareness About Dangers of Female Genital Mutilation
Based on a report by Beyene Moges, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, THP-Ethiopia

The Hunger Project (THP)-Ethiopia currently works in six epicenters throughout the country facilitating development programs in rural communities. Committed volunteers in each epicenter community are trained to be animators and are integral in the development and implementation of programs and educational initiatives.

By working in collaboration with like-minded partner organizations, these animators facilitate trainings, called Vision, Commitment and Action Workshops (VCAWs), on a variety of subjects to promote self-reliance including: community volunteerism, agriculture, health, harmful traditional practices and skills development.

The animator program operates under four primary objectives:
* Achieve effective mobilization and organization of the people
* Mobilize local resources for development purposes
* Achieve effective utilization of social and economic infrastructures
* Build leadership capacity in the community

A newly trained group of 58 animators from Enemore Epicenter recently met with THP-Ethiopia’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to discuss and evaluate their accomplishments and important lessons learned within the epicenter’s VCAWs. At the time of the meeting, the most effective programs were recognized as being agricultural trainings and general education. Most notably within education was the success of several animator trainings on the topic of female genital mutilation (FGM).

FGM is a long-standing cultural practice of cutting away parts of the external female genitalia and is most commonly performed on girls between the ages of four and eight, though it can take place at any age from infancy to adolescence. Typically called female “circumcision” by those who practice it, FGM is not only traumatic but highly dangerous and often leads to life-long pain and suffering, or even death, for girls who are subjected to the procedure.

Ethiopia has one of the highest levels FGM in Africa, where, according to the 2005 Demographic and Health Survey, 74 percent of girls and women nationwide have been subjected to the practice. The animators of Enemore Epicenter identified three of their own kebeles (districts) still widely practicing the harmful tradition and began specific and repeated training campaigns to discuss the numerous disadvantages of FGM.

One animator, Mr. Teka Bataga, shares his experience with the campaign:
“Last week a friend and neighbor of mine told me he is planning to circumcise his one-year-old daughter. I told him, soberly and after choosing the right moment for our discussion, about the disadvantages of this harmful practice. We, the animators, were lectured on this subject. I told my friend and neighbor: FGM is often performed in poor sanitary conditions by traditional practitioners with immediate and long-term health consequences. Immediate complications include excruciating pain, shock, urine retention, ulceration of the genital regions and injury to the adjacent tissue. Other complications include blood poisoning, infertility and obstructed labor and more. Then my friend and neighbor remarked, “I was about to kill my only daughter. Thank you for such valuable information. As of today I will be a campaigner against FGM too."

Mr. Bataga’s personal achievement is one of many and has inspired his fellow Enemore animators to launch similar efforts with their friends and neighbors in addition to facilitating formal trainings. [source - retrieved from http://www.thp.org/learn_more/news/latest_news/animators_raise_awareness_about_dangers_of_female_genital_mutilation?gclid=CNLYz7DvgrACFUSK4Aoda0igHg on 5/15/2012]

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Rights groups slam new calls for female circumcision in southern Egypt
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
By Al Arabiya
A group of Egyptian medical and human rights organizations on Monday condemned reports on the mobile medical convoy for circumcision of girls in the southern Egyptian governorate of Minya, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), an Egyptian news website reported on Tuesday.

They expressed, in a joint statement, their shock from the attempts to violate the “bodily rights ensured by the Egyptian law for children through an amendment to the law for decriminalization of female genital mutilation, which coincided with the statement by some political movements,” the online Biyamasr reported.
The statement described the move as “backward” on the law that would encourage the people in the villages of Minya governorate to undergo female genital mutilation, which is considered as an act of psychological, physical and sexual violence against girls.

The statement called for a stop of sexual violence against Egyptian girls and urged the respect of the Declaration of Human Rights and the conventions of children’s rights through mainstreaming the right to bodily integrity. According to Bikyamasr news website, the statement also urged the consideration of the practice of female genital mutilation as “a crime of deliberate congenital deformation as it meets all forms of violence against girls, which should be punishable by law.

“The practice of female genital mutilation is a non-scientific practice and causes psychological and physical and sexual damage for young girls,” the statement said, adding that it is “subjected to jurisdiction by al-Azhar.”

According to the United Nations figures, three million girls face circumcision every year in Africa, and up to 140 million women and girls worldwide have already undergone the practice, which has serious immediate and long-term health effects and is a clear violation of fundamental human rights.


(Writing by Abeer Tayel) [source - retrieved from http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/05/15/214245.html on 5/15/2012]

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Female genital mutilation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Female genital mutilation

Description
Partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non-medical reasons
Areas practiced
Western, eastern, and north-eastern Africa, Middle East, Near East, Southeast Asia
Number affected
135 million women and girls as of 1997
Age performed
A few days after birth to age 15; occasionally in adulthood
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."[1]
FGM is typically carried out on girls from a few days old to puberty. It may take place in a hospital, but is usually performed, without anaesthesia, by a traditional circumciser using a knife, razor, or scissors. According to the WHO, it is practiced in 28 countries in western, eastern, and north-eastern Africa, in parts of the Middle East, and within some immigrant communities in Europe, North America, and Australasia.[2] The WHO estimates that 100–140 million women and girls around the world have experienced the procedure, including 92 million in Africa.[1] The practise is carried out by some communities who believe it reduces a woman's libido.[3]
The WHO has offered four classifications of FGM. The main three are Type I, removal of the clitoral hood, almost invariably accompanied by removal of the clitoris itself (clitoridectomy); Type II, removal of the clitoris and inner labia; and Type III (infibulation), removal of all or part of the inner and outer labia, and usually the clitoris, and the fusion of the wound, leaving a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood—the fused wound is opened for intercourse and childbirth.[4] Around 85 percent of women who undergo FGM experience Types I and II, and 15 percent Type III, though Type III is the most common procedure in several countries, including Sudan, Somalia, and Djibouti.[5] Several miscellaneous acts are categorized as Type IV. These range from a symbolic pricking or piercing of the clitoris or labia, to cauterization of the clitoris, cutting into the vagina to widen it (gishiri cutting), and introducing corrosive substances to tighten it.[4]
Opposition to FGM focuses on human rights violations, lack of informed consent, and health risks, which include fatal hemorrhaging, epidermoid cysts, recurrent urinary and vaginal infections, chronic pain, and obstetrical complications. Since 1979, there have been concerted efforts by international bodies to end the practice, including sponsorship by the United Nations of an International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, held each February 6 since 2003.[6] Sylvia Tamale, a Ugandan legal scholar, writes that there is a large body of research and activism in Africa itself that strongly opposes FGM, but she cautions that some African feminists object to what she calls the imperialist infantilization of African women, and they reject the idea that FGM is nothing but a barbaric rejection of modernity. Tamale suggests that there are cultural and political aspects to the practice's continuation that make opposition to it a complex issue.[7] [source - retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_mutilation on 5/15/2012]

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Violence Against Women Information

Around the world at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Every year, violence in the home and the community devastates the lives of millions of women. Gender-based violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer, and its toll on women's health surpasses that of traffic accidents and malaria combined.1 Violence against women is rooted in a global culture of discrimination which denies women equal rights with men and which legitimizes the appropriation of women's bodies for individual gratification or political ends.

Background

* Violence against women feeds off discrimination and serves to reinforce it. When women are abused in custody, when they are raped by armed forces as "spoils of war", or when they are terrorized by violence in the home, unequal power relations between men and women are both manifested and enforced.

* Violence against women is compounded by discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, sexual identity, social status, class, and age. Such multiple forms of discrimination further restrict women's choices, increase their vulnerability to violence and make it even harder for women to obtain justice.

There is an unbroken spectrum of violence that women face at the hands of people who exert control over them. States have the obligation to prevent, protect against, and punish violence against women whether perpetrated by private or public actors. States have a responsibility to uphold standards of due diligence and take steps to fulfill their responsibility to protect individuals from human rights abuses.

International Women's Human Rights Foundations

* The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." (Article 2)

* The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women states that "violence against women means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life." (Article 1) It further asserts that states have an obligation to " exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons." (Article 4-c)

The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), defines discrimination against women as any "distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on the basis of equality between men and women, of human rights or fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field." (Article 1)

Violence Against Women : A Human Rights Violation

Violence against women is rampant in all corners of the world. Such violence is a human rights violation that manifests itself in a number of ways, including:

Violence against women in custody

The imbalance of power between inmates and guards is a result of prisoners' total dependency on correctional officers and guards' ability to withhold privileges and is manifest in direct physical force and indirect abuses. Because incarcerated women are largely invisible to the public eye, little is done when the punishment of imprisonment is compounded with that of rape, sexual assault, groping during body searches, and shackling during childbirth. Women are often coerced into providing sex for "favors" such as extra food or personal hygiene products, or to avoid punishment. There is little medical or psychological care available to inmates. Though crimes in prison such as rape are prevalent, few perpetrators of violence against female inmates are ever held accountable. In 1997, for example, only ten prison employees in the entire federal system were disciplined for sexual misconduct.

Acid Burning and Dowry Deaths

Women's subjugation to men is pervasive in the political, civil, social, cultural, and economic spheres of many countries. In such societies, a woman who turns down a suitor or does not get along with her in-laws far too frequently becomes a victim of a violent form of revenge: acid burning. Acid is thrown in her face or on her body and can blind her in addition to often fatal third-degree burns. Governments do little to prevent the sale of acid to the public or to punish those who use it to kill and maim. Similarly, the ongoing reality of dowry-related violence is an example of what can happen when women are treated as property. Brides unable to pay the high "price" to marry are punished by violence and often death at the hands of their in-laws or their own husbands.

"Honor" Killings

In some societies, women are often looked upon as representatives of the honor of the family. When women are suspected of extra-marital sexual relations, even if in the case of rape, they can be subjected to the cruelest forms of indignity and violence, often by their own fathers or brothers. Women who are raped and are unable to provide explicit evidence, are sometimes accused of zina, or the crime of unlawful sexual relations, the punishment for which is often death by public stoning. Such laws serve as a great obstacle inhibiting women from pursuing cases against those who raped them. Assuming an accused woman's guilt, male family members believe that they have no other means of undoing a perceived infringement of "honor" other than to kill the woman.

Domestic violence

Violence against women is a global pandemic. Without exception, a woman's greatest risk of violence is from someone she knows. Domestic violence is a violation of a woman's right to physical integrity, to liberty, and all too often, to her right to life itself. When states fail to take the basic steps needed to protect women from domestic violence or allow these crimes to be committed with impunity, states are failing in their obligation to protect women
from torture.

Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation is the removal of part or all of the external female genitalia. In its most severe form, a woman or girl has all of her genitalia removed and then stitched together, leaving a small opening for intercourse and menstruation. It is practiced in 28 African countries on the pretext of cultural tradition or hygiene. An estimated 135 million girls have undergone FGM with dire consequences ranging from infection (including HIV) to sterility, in addition to the devastating psychological effects. Though all the governments of the countries in which FGM is practiced have legislation making it illegal, the complete lack of enforcement and prosecution of the perpetrators means FGM continues to thrive.

Human Rights Violations Based on Actual or Perceived Sexual Identity

Sexuality is regulated in a gender specific way and maintained through strict constraints imposed by cultural norms and sometimes through particular legal measures supporting those norms. The community, which can include religious institutions, the media, family and cultural networks, regulates women's sexuality and punishes women who do not comply. Such women include lesbians, women who appear "too masculine," women who try to freely exercise their rights, and women who challenge male dominance. Lesbian women, or women who are perceived to be lesbian, experience abuses by state authorities in prisons, by the police, as well as private actors such as their family and community. Numerous cases document young lesbians being beaten, raped, forcibly impregnated or married, and otherwise attacked by family members to punish them or "correct" their sexual identity. Lesbians in the United States face well-founded fears of persecution by police because of their sexual identity and violence against lesbians occurs with impunity on a regular basis.

Gender Based Asylum

The UN High Commission on Refugees advocates that "women fearing persecution or severe discrimination on the basis of their gender should be considered a member of a social group for the purposes of determining refugee status." (Guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women) Such persecution may include harms unique to their gender such as, but not limited to, female genital mutilation, forcible abortion, domestic violence that the state refuses to act on and honor killings. However, women seeking asylum in the United States rarely gain refugee status based on claims of gender-related violence, as U.S. asylum adjudicators apply a restrictive interpretation of the international definition of a refugee entitled to persecution. In particular, lesbian women seeking asylum from sexuality-based persecution in their countries of origin often, and legitimately, fear disclosing their sexuality to authorities.

The Problem of Impunity

Perpetrators of violence against women are rarely held accountable for their acts. Women who are victims of gender-related violence often have little recourse because many state agencies are themselves guilty of gender bias and discriminatory practices. Many women opt not to report cases of violence to authorities because they fear being ostracized and shamed by communities that are too often quick to blame victims of violence for the abuses they have suffered. When women do challenge their abusers, it can often only be accomplished by long and humiliating court battles with little sympathy from authorities or the media. Violence against women is so deeply embedded in society that it often fails to garner public censure and outrage.

Violence against women is a violation of human rights that cannot be justified by any political, religious, or cultural claim. A global culture of discrimination against women allows violence to occur daily and with impunity. Amnesty International calls on you to help us eradicate violence against women and help women to achieve lives of equality and human dignity.

1 UNFPA State of World Population 2005: The Promise of Equality. (2005) Pg. 65. (UNFPA drew this figure from pg. 15 and 110 of the following report: UN Millennium Project Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women. Task Force on Education and Gender Equality. London and Sterling, Virginia: Earthscan. (2005a).)

[source - retrieved from http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/women-s-rights/violence-against-women/violence-against-women-information on 5/15/2012]

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A Product of Muslim Education Promoted By Their Religious Leaders;

Female Genital Mutilation "An Obligation" According to Iraqi Muslim Cleric
by Irfan Al-Alawi
August 18, 2011 at 4:00 am

http://www.hudson-ny.org/2360/female-genital-mutilation-iraq

In June, the parliament of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) adopted a ban on domestic violence, including female genital mutilation (FGM), a "procedure" that is widespread among Iraqi Kurds. The law will come into effect once it is signed by KRG president Mesud Barzani, who represents the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
But a local cleric, Ismail Sussai, in the major Iraqi Kurdish city of Arbil, has delivered a televised sermon in which he described FGM as "obligatory," called on fathers to kill themselves, on pain of losing their "honor," if they are legally prevented from abusing their daughters for using mobile phones; and he defended the beating of wives and children.
The Kurdish cleric was particularly offended by use of mobile phones among girls, as well as by suggestions that the beating of women and children should be legislatively curbed, along with the FGM that was inflicted on the mothers and grandmothers of present-day Iraqi Kurdish leaders, and is still suffered by a majority of Kurdish girls.
He went on to threaten political opposition to the KRG if Barzani signs the law against domestic violence and FGM.
Sussai's diatribe included the claim that sanctions against FGM were forced on the Iraqi Kurds by a conference of "Jews" in the Chinese capital of Beijing -- a bizarre charge that is apparently based in the condemnation of FGM by the Fourth World Conference on Women hosted by the United Nations in Beijing in 1995.
Sussai based his argument for FGM on support for it by the Shafi'i school of Islamic jurisprudence, one of four Sunni schools. While Shafi'i legalists have declared FGM obligatory, its imposition on girls has not been uniform. Shafi'i jurisprudence is widely adhered to in Muslim communities in East Africa, as well as in Egypt and Indonesia, with additional enclaves of support in the other Arab lands, the Indian ocean, and Southeast Asia. But FGM is rare in large areas of the Muslim geographical region that recognizes Shafi'i religious law.
FGM is a pre-Islamic practice that appears to have been assimilated into Shafi'i jurisprudence through adoption of local customs. It is more common among Black Africans of differing religious affiliation, as well as Arabs in diverse areas of Saudi Arabia and its neighbours, including Egypt. Immigrants from both parts of the globe have introduced FGM into Europe and the U.S., where it is banned. Parents who insist on it may send their daughters back to their homelands for infliction of FGM, but in doing so violate the law.
Along with many Western countries, Indonesia and Egypt have prohibited FGM, although some extremist clerics in both countries emphasize their support for it in the style of the Kurdish Ismail Sussai.
FGM is unknown in the Muslim Balkans, rare in Turkey and Central Asia, and absent from India and Bangladesh. The custom is controversial and despised by most of the Islamic global community. Even the radical cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is influential in Egypt, has averred that while he supports the practice in a "moderate" Islamic way "indicated" in some of the hadiths (oral commentaries) of Prophet Muhammad, "such hadiths are not confirmed to be authentic."
Muslims should work to end FGM, so-called "honour" murders, beatings, and other abuses imposed on women and children under cover of religion. With all its many problems, the intentions of Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which has a secular history, and of the Kurdistan Regional Government, are correct in banning these practices.
President Barzani should sign and enforce the law against domestic violence, including its anti-FGM components, and disregard the retrograde harangues of extremist clerics like Ismail Sussai.
But members of the Shafi'i school and non-Shafi'i Muslim clerics must also recognize a duty to unambiguously repudiate "Islamic" pretexts for FGM and other family crimes.
Related Topics: Irfan Al-Alawi

Here are the facts on female genital mutilation:

Female Genital Mutilation A Wicked Practice of Some Muslims and Coptics:

INTRODUCTION:

What is female genital mutilation? Let's consider the facts starting with whether there is any need for such.

FIRST [[1]], There is no medical need for this procedure. The following article from an encyclopedia will clearly show this and the fact that it is bad for a women's health. Saying there are medical reasons for same is nothing but AN OUTRIGHT LIE.

SECOND [[2]], Some say,

<<<"in very hot climates like Africa, experience swelling in that area, making this type of operation necessary for them to live a normal life?">>>

Is AN OUTRIGHT LIE in no way backed by medical knowledge, see article below.

THIRD [[3]], Some refuse to accept that many members of Islam and the Coptic Church practice this heathen horrible sex crime against young girls.

Is AN OUTRIGHT REJECTION OF REALITY which goes completely against the principles of education, learning, and the truth.

FOURTH [[4]], Genuine (true) followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ do not practice this heathen horrible sex crime against young girls. The statement,

<<<" How do you know true christians don't do this? Is there anything in your bible that forbids this practice?">>>

Is nothing but a deceptive question similar to the one used by Satan the Devil in the Garden of Eden, AN OUTRIGHT LIE in the form of a question.

FIFTH, LIES LIKE THIS ARE UN-EXCUSABLE, and show that any religion whose members resort to same are being controlled by Satan the Devil per John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof." (American Standard Version; ASV).

...

Members of Islam Practice Horrible Heathen Crime Against Nature. Now let's look at just what this horrible crime against nature is:

<<<"Female genital cutting (FGC) refers to the excision or tissue removal of any part of the female genitalia for cultural, religious or other non-medical reasons. It is more frequently referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision (FC).

The term FGC does not refer to gender reassignment surgery or the genital modification of intersexuals.

Different terms are used to describe the act of female genital cutting, but regardless of the terminology the same practice is being referred to. Opponents of these practices tend to use the term Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), whereas groups who support and practice this ritual tend to use the term Female Circumcision (FC), which is also considered an euphemism. Advocates of male circumcision argue that the term "female circumcision" results in unwanted associations between the two practices, while genital integrity advocates might refer to all child genital cutting as mutilation.

The expression Female Genital Mutilation gained growing support in the late 1970s. The word mutilation not only established clear linguistic distinction from male circumcision, but it also emphasized the gravity of the act. In 1990, this term was adopted at the third conference of the Inter African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC) in Addis Ababa. In 1991, the World Health Organization recommended that the United Nations adopt this terminology and subsequently, it has been widely used in UN documents.

Amnesty International and the World Health Organization most often refer to the practice as 'Female Genital Mutilation'.[1][2][3][4]

The use of the word mutilation reinforces the idea that this practice is a violation of the human rights of girls and women, and thereby helps promote national and international advocacy towards its abandonment. At the community level, however, the term can be problematic. Local languages generally use the less judgmental "cutting" to describe the practice; parents understandably resent the suggestion that they are "mutilating" their daughters. In this spirit, in 1999, the UN called for tact and patience regarding activities in this area and drew attention to the risk of "demonizing" certain cultures, religions and communities. As a result, the term "cutting" has increasingly come to be used to avoid alienating communities.[5]

In 1996 the UNFPA-sponsored Reproductive, Educative, And Community Health program coined the term 'Female Genital Cutting', observing that 'Female Genital Mutilation' may "imply excessive judgment by outsiders as well as insensitivity toward individuals who have undergone some form of genital excision.[6]

There are several distinct practices of FGC that range in severity, depending on how much genital tissue is cut away. Four major types have been categorized (see Diagram 1), although there is some debate as to whether all common forms of FGC fit into these four categories, as well as issues with the reliability of reported data.[7]

Clitoridectomy involves the removal or splitting of the clitoral hood, termed "hoodectomy" (or "clitorodotomy"), with or without excision of the clitoris, see Diagram 1B. The clitoral hood is the female prepuce, homologous to the foreskin of the male. This term was devised in The Sudan by the Anglo-Sudanese administration in 1946 in an attempt to promote this "milder" form of FGC instead of the more severe Type III, infibulation or pharaonic circumcision, that was widely practiced.[8] Although labeled Sunna by Islamic advocates of the practice, most MusliType III is the most severe form of FGC and is called infibulation or pharaonic circumcision (referring to the Pharaohs who were thought to practice this form). Infibulation involves extensive tissue removal of the external genitalia, including all of the labia minora and the inside of the labia majora, leaving a raw open wound. The labia majora are then held together using thorns or stitching and the girl's legs are tied together for two - six weeks, to prevent her from moving and allow the healing of the two sides of the vulva. Nothing remains of the normal anatomy of the genitalia, except for a wall of flesh from the pubis down to the anus, with the exception of a pencil-size opening at the inferior portion of the vulva to allow urine and menstrual blood to pass through, see Diagram 1D. This type of FGC is often carried out by an elderly matron or midwife of the village on girls between the ages of two and six, without anaesthetic and under unhygienic conditions.[11]

A reverse infibulation can be performed to allow for sexual intercourse (often by the husband using a knife on the wedding night) or when undergoing labor, or by female relatives, whose responsibility it is to inspect the wound every few weeks and open it some more if necessary. During childbirth, the enlargement is too small to allow girl thingyl delivery, and so the infibulation must be opened completely and restored after delivery. Once again, the legs are tied together to allow the wound to heal, and the procedure is repeated for each subsequent act of intercourse or childbirth. When childbirth takes place in a hospital, the surgeons may preserve the infibulation by enlarging the girl thingy with deep episiotomies. Afterwards, the patient may insist that her vulva be closed again so that her husband does not reject her.[11]

This practice is reported to cause the disappearance of sexual pleasure for the women affected, as well as major medical complications. Most advocates of the practice continue to perform the procedure in adherence to standards of beauty that are very different from those in the west. Many infibulated women will contend that the pleasure their partners receive due to this procedure is a definitive part of a successful marriage.

m clergy oppose all forms of female genital cutting as it is viewed as a social custom, rather than a religious practice. According to Dr. Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Salieh at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law:

Excision refers to clitoridectomy (removal of the prepuce and the clitoris) plus the partial or total removal of the labia minora, the inner lips of the vulva, see Diagram 1C. Type II circumcision is a more extensive form of FGC compared to Type I and due to the sewing together of the leftover labia minora epidermis, which contains sweat glands, a buildup of sweat and urine in the closed off space beneath this closure can lead to local or urinary infection, septicemia, hemorrhaging and cyst formation.[10] This type of FGC is also called khafd, meaning reduction in Arabic.

Female genital cutting is today [[Today is NOT pre-Islamic times.]] mainly practiced in African countries. It is common in a band that stretches from Senegal in West Africa to Somalia on the East coast, as well as from Egypt (Who have just banned FGC[12]) in the north to Tanzania in the south, see Map. In these regions, it is estimated that more than 95% of all women have undergone this procedure. It is also practiced by some groups in the Arabian peninsula, especially among a minority (20%) in Yemen.[13]

The countries that practice FGC the most are Somalia, followed by Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Mali. Among ethnic Somali women, infibulation is traditional and nearly universal. In the Arab peninsula, Sunna circumcision is usually performed, especially among Arabs (ethnic groups of African descent are more likely to prefer infibulation).

Whilst FGC is widely practiced out in the open by African Muslims [[This is today, NOT PRE-iSLAMIC times as some members of Islam try to claim rather than deal with reality as will later be shown.]], it is practiced in secrecy in some parts of the Middle East. The practice occurs particularly in northern Saudi Arabia, southern Jordan, and Iraq, and there is also circumstantial evidence to suggest it is present in Syria, western Iran and southern Turkey.[14] In Oman a few communities still practice FGC; however, experts believed that the number of such cases was small and declining annually. In the United Arab Emirates and also Saudi Arabia, it is practiced mainly among foreign workers from East Africa and the Nile Valley.

The practice can also be found among a few ethnic groups in South America and India. In Indonesia[15] the practice is fairly common among the country's Muslim women; however, in contrast to Africa, almost all are Type I or Type IV, the latter usually involving the symbolic pricking of blood release.

Due to immigration, the practice has also spread to Europe, Australia and the United States. Some tradition-minded families have their daughters undergo FGC whilst on vacation in their home countries. As Western governments become more aware of FGC, legislation has come into effect in many countries to make the practice of FGC a criminal offense. In 2006 [[NOT a pre-Islamic time]], Khalid Adem became the first man in the United States to be prosecuted for mutilating his daughter.

Medical consequences:

Among practicing cultures, FGC is most commonly performed between the ages of four and eight, but can take place at any age from infancy to adolescence. Prohibition has led to FGC going underground, at times with people who have had no medical training performing the cutting without anesthetic, sterilization, or the use of proper medical instruments. The procedure, when performed without any anesthetic, can lead to death through shock from immense pain or excessive bleeding. The failure to use sterile medical instruments may lead to infections and the spread of disease, such as HIV, especially when the same instruments are used to perform procedures on multiple women.[10]

Other serious long term health effects are also common. These include urinary and reproductive tract infections, caused by obstructed flow of urine and menstrual blood, various forms of scarring and infertility. The first time having sexual intercourse will often be extremely painful, and infibulated women will need the labia majora to be opened, to allow their husband access to the girl thingy. This second cut, sometimes performed by the husband with a knife, can cause other complications to arise.

The health consequences of FGC vary from region to region and from researcher to researcher. An in-depth analysis by Carla Obermeyer (2003) shows that past studies, plagued by "incomplete analysis" and "inconsistent numbers", have greatly overestimated the likelihood of serious medical complications resulting from FGC procedures (401). She notes that there is no significant statistically represented relationship between FGC and sexually transmitted diseases/infections, infertility or birth complications (402). Her study illustrates how the opposers of FGC may be relying on inadequate health data to justify their opposition, and instead more meaningful and relevant medical research needs to be conducted in order to help support the cessation of this practice.

A June 2006 study by the WHO has cast doubt on the safety of genital cutting of any kind.[29] This study was conducted on a cohort of 28,393 women attending delivery wards at 28 obstetric centers in areas of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and The Sudan. A high proportion of these mothers had undergone FGC. According to the WHO criteria, all types of FGC were found to pose an increased risk of death to the baby (15% for Type I, 32% for Type II, and 55% for Type III). Mothers with FGC Type III were also found to be 30% more at risk for cesarean sections and had a 70% increase in postpartum hemorrhage compared to women without FGC. Estimating from these results, and doing a rough population estimate of mothers in Africa with FGC, an additional 10 to 20 per thousand babies in Africa die during delivery as a result of the mothers having undergone genital cutting.

In cases of repairing the damage resulting from FGC, called de-infibulation when reversing Type III FGC, this is usually carried out by a gynecologist. See also Pierre Foldes, French surgeon, who developed modern surgical corrective techniques.

A 12 year-old Egyptian girl, Badour Shaker, died in June, 2007 during or soon after a circumcision. She died from an overdose of anesthesia. The girl's mother, Zeniab Abdel Ghani, paid $9.00 [or 5 British pounds] to a female doctor, in an illegal clinic in the southern town of Maghagh, for the operation. The doctor tried to give her $3,000 to withdraw a lawsuit, but the mother refused.[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]>>>.

WRONGFUL ATTEMPTS TO JUSTIFY THIS WICKED PRACTICE AND TO DENY THE TRUTH:

Well let's first look at how one member of Islam tried to justify it by denying reality and falsely claiming it was ONLY done in pre-Islamic times:

<<<" Bro [[name removed]], I had a long long discussion with [[A genuine true follower of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ]] in WhyIslam Forum about FGM (Female Genital Mutilation), which basically [[is]] a pre-islamic practice, which was stopped after the inception of Islam.

Few tribes in North Africa do however practice this shameful act - Again this dates back to Pre-islamic ear." [source - member of Islam]>>>.

My reply to this denier of reality was as follows:

<<<" REALITY CHECK NEEDED:

Modern Egypt is NOT some pre-islamic tribe, therefore, your statement is an outright untruth," [source - A genuine true follower of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ.]>>>.

Now the reality with respect it being a modern Twentieth and Twenty-First practice in modern countries that are mostly all Islamic from the world news:

<<<" Egypt outlaws all female circumcision 2 hours, 17 minutes ago, AP, [6/28/2007][[Now is 2007 a pre-Islamic time - get real]]

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt on Thursday finally banned all female circumcision, the
widely-practised removal of the clitoris which just days ago cost the life of a
12-year-old girl.

Officially the practice, which affects Muslim women in Egypt and goes back to the time of the pharoahs, [[Moslems adapted a horrible practice of pagans yet untruthfully claim they are not heathens, strange]] was banned in 1997 but doctors were allowed to operate "in exceptional cases".

On Thursday, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali decided to ban every doctor and
member of the medical profession, in public or private establishments, from
carrying out a clitoridectomy, a ministry press official told AFP.
Any circumcision "will be viewed as a violation of the law and all
contraventions will be punished," said the official, adding that it was a
"permanent ban".

A survey in 2000 said the practice was carried out on 97 percent of the
country's women. [[Now is 2,000 AD a pre-Islamic time?]]

In the latest fatality, 12-year-old Bedur Ahmed Shaker was taken by her mother
to a private clinic in Minya, a town on the Nile south of Cairo, for the
operation. She died before she could be transferred to hospital. Her mother accused the woman doctor of negligence, charging that her daughter's
death was linked to the anaesthetic and not the removal of the clitoris, for
which she had paid 50 pounds (nearly nine dollars). Police have arrested both
women." [source - world news report on Yahoo News on 6/28/2007]>>>.

Other members of Islam try to justify it on the basis that some so called Christians also practice it, and say:

<<<" it's practised by christians as well in ethiopia and and qoptic christians in egypt etc.."

but the fact is that its neither a christian or islamic it's just an ugly tradition and i believe whoever does it to a woman is a terrorist." [source - A female member of Islam]>>>.

Yes, it is true that some so called Christians practice it. Yes, counterfeit Christians in Ethiopia practice it, but NO genuine true followers of Jesus (Yeshua) practice it. One article clearly showed the reality of this in line with John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (Authorized King James Bible, AV), as follows:

<<<"Some view gaining salvation as and easy task and feel that belonging to any old religion is acceptable to Almighty God (YHWH), but is it? Let's look at some facts, realities in keeping with John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

Because I have clearly shown that actions and belief set the two groups apart so now I shall summarize the differences.

Group 1 - the genuine (true) followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ do NOT involve themselves with war and violence or meddle in politics, and try to follow to the 'letter' the words and commandments of Christ. Also, they have NO creedal doctrines and/or traditions.

Group 2 - the false claimants of being followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ involve themselves with war and violence and meddle in politics while falsely claiming to be followers of Christ, the Prince of Peace. The give 'lip' service with respect following to the 'letter' the words and commandments of Christ - the term Sunday Christian aptly fits them. They have their creedal doctrines and/or traditions and assign more importance to these than the Inspired Word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible.

So it is NOT my taxonomy but reality that sets the two groups clearly apart as separate classifications. Also, it is not my opinion that sets the two separate groups that are called "Christians" apart, but clearly the diametrically opposed actions of the two groups.

In fact, the Inspired Word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible, clearly demonstrates how difficult it really is not to be mislead by the Devil and the religious leaders of evil false religions under control of the god of this system of things. This was clearly shown by Almighty God's (YHWH's) Son, Jesus (Yeshua), in answering a question asked of him at Luke 13:23-30, "And one said unto him, Lord, are they few that are saved? And he said unto them, 24 Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence ye are; 26 then shall ye begin to say, We did eat and drink in thy presence, and thou didst teach in our streets; 27 and he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves cast forth without. 29 And they shall come from the east and west, and from the north and south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And behold, there are last who shall be first, and there are first who shall be last." (American Standard Version; ASV).

Also, Jesus (Yeshua) clearly showed his genuine (true) followers would be few in number compared to the total number of mankind. Let's consider both Luke 13:24 and Matthew 7:13-14, it is in both of these that the road followed by true believers would be narrow and cramped, Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Authorized King James Bible: AV); And Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, abroad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (AV); thereby, clearly showing few would be entering the narrow gate "which leadeth unto life." In reality, it will be difficult for even true Christians to enter as testified to at 1 Peter 4:18, "And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear." (AV). In order to enter, we must have the right sort of guide, Luke 1:79, "To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." (AV). Now, if one picks the wrong group, just because it is popular or the so called 'one to belong to in a community' and not because of Bible Truths, there is an important warning given at Matthew 15:14, "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (AV). In fact, being with the wrong group can mean you are NOT having fellowship with the Son of God, Jesus (Yeshua) as testified to at 1 John 1:6, "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not [have] the truth." (AV). This danger is made abundantly clear at Luke 12:32 when Jesus (Yeshua) spoke of his true followers as a little flock and not a large one, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (AV). Simply stated, his true followers will be relatively few in number which should cause all sincere individuals to question whether mainstream religion with its vast membership is heading for the narrow gate!

Now being this is the case, it behooves all genuine (true) followers of Jesus (Yeshua) to show neighbor love and warn their neighbors of the need to seek genuine salvation and to get OUT OF EVIL FALSE RELIGION regardless of what it is called or how long their families and friends have been members of it. This would be required by what Jesus (Yeshua) said at Matthew 22:37-40, "And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets." (ASV).

We will consider how this love of neighbor requires all genuine (true) followers to warn their neighbors of evil false religion by exposing it for what it is.

SHOWING NEIGHBOR LOVE REQUIRES EXPOSING EVIL FALSE RELIGION:


Now all need to be showing love to their neighbors including Jews and telling them of the first step toward salvation given at John 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (AV). Messages of hate assist no one in learning the truth per John 8:32, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Authorized King James Bible; AV).

Take my articles, for example, they have a worthy objective; to wit, exposing false doctrine so individuals can correct their wrong path. My articles are NOT ones of hate, as are many of others, but ones that expose false doctrine and wrong practice. All should read them instead of posting false accusations, as you will find not one word of hate or bashing in my articles, only truth. They are posted to assist all in knowing the truth, per John 8:32, and to assist all in making a change in their lives by getting out of groups and/or religions that practice false doctrine and wrong practices.

All need to learn about love and that includes warning others with respect false doctrine and wrong practices instead of thinking of hate and being bigots as many are. As 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 shows, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; 6 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; 7 beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Love never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away." (ASV).

Love is the power of faith as shown in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 as quoted above. Faith actually needs love to function because perfect faith results in faithfulness and faithfulness is the outcome of love; therefore faith and love go hand in hand because faith wants to believe, just as love trust, faith will see its possessors through the darkness and weathers of the storms of life, just as love endures all things, and faith seeks to put Almighty God (YHWH) first just as love always give.

Our faith is not just knowledge about Almighty God (YHWH), but a personal relationship with Him as our Lord, and any relationship requires love to succeed, to endure trials and to grow, including our relationships with one another because we are called to be family in the Lord and to love one another.

The perfect example of faith powered by love is seen in the life of Jesus Christ, who manifests Gods love to perfection. As Leviticus 6:27 states,
"Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof, shall be sanctified. If a garment be sprinkled with the blood thereof, it shall be washed in a holy place." (Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible; DRCB). Thus, whatever touches what is holy shall become holy. And love is of Almighty God's (YHWH's) Holy Spirit, his active force and/or power. In fact, the Hebrew word here rendered Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, or Spirit which is translated from 'ru'ach' meaning "breath; wind; spirit." "The Catholic Encyclopedia:" states, "Nowhere in the Old Testament do we find any clear indication of a Third Person." And Catholic theologian Fortman states, "The Jews never regarded the spirit as a person; nor is there any solid evidence that any Old Testament writer held this view. . . . The Holy Spirit is usually presented in the Synoptics [Gospels] and in Acts as a divine force or power." Whereas, "The New Catholic Encyclopedia" states, "The O[ld] T[estament] clearly does not envisage God's spirit as a person . . . God's spirit is simply God's power. If it is sometimes represented as being distinct from God, it is because the breath of Yahweh acts exteriorly." It also states, "The majority of N[ew] T[estament] texts reveal God's spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God." And "A Catholic Dictionary," states, "On the whole, the New Testament, like the Old, speaks of the spirit as a divine energy or power."

By faith we draw near to God through sincere prayer, entering into His presence, because when Jesus died on the cross, the temple curtain separating God and man was torn in two from top to bottom, per Matthew 27:51, "And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent;" (ASV). At James 4:8, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded." (ASV), clearly showing that Almighty God (YHWH) will draw near to us if we draw near to him. This point is also emphasized at Galatians 5:22-26, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. 24 And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof. 25 If we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also walk. Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another." (ASV). Remember that Almighty God (YHWH) is the source of our love.

When we submit to the love of God we have combined faith with love and have the power to fulfill the royal law, which is to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and soul per Matthew 22:37-40, "And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets." (ASV); and James 2:22, "Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect;" (ASV). If we love Almighty God (YHWH), we will seek to please Him and keep the royal law because the royal law embraces Gods will and all of His commandments. Without love we can't fulfill the royal law because we can't love the Lord unless we have love. To manifest the love of God is to overcome sin, whereas to not manifest the love of God is to sin. For the royal law is not to know about the Almighty God (YHWH) , but to love the Almighty God (YHWH), and to love one another as ourselves. We can't do one without the other, because we can't truly love God whom we can't see if we don't love mankind who is made in the image of God. When we love one another we are manifesting our love for God whom we can't see by loving His image. John 14:21 clearly shows "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him." (ASV); therefore, If we love one another then we also love God because we can't love the reflection without loving its source. And if we love God we will love Jesus Christ and allow Him to reign in our hearts, keepings all of His commandments, and we do this by subduing the will and power of the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that faith working through love does the will of God by turning the thought into reality which pleases Him and fulfills the royal law.

Faith without love is incomplete, residing only in the mind as knowledge, and knowledge of Almighty God (YHWH) alone can not perfect us by saving us from sin. This can only be accomplished by allowing Jesus Christ to reign supreme in our hearts. If knowledge of Almighty God's (YHWH's) will alone could save us then salvation would have been through the law of Moses, and there would not have been any need for Christ to die for our sins per Galatians 2:21, previously quoted. If Jesus reigns in our hearts then the love of Christ also reigns because He is the manifestation of Almighty God's (YHWH's)love. As Romand 8:9 so amply shows, "But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (ASV) ; therefore, The heart without the love of God does not have Jesus Christ and the soul without the Spirit of Christ is not born again. As the Apostle Paul so clearly stated at Romans 15:16, "that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus unto the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit." (ASV). Last, as shown at 1 John 4:8-13, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us: 13 hereby we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit." (ASV).
[source - Good People Can Be In Evil False Religions:]>>>.

But that does not answer a simple question.

EVIL PRACTICE WITHIN ISLAM THAT IT DOES NOT STAMP OUT:

Some maintain that female circumcisem is against the principles of Islam, but the reality is that many in Islam practice this evil act against women and are NOT punished or thrown out of Islam for practicing it. Why? Makes you wonder.

Nor does it answer why Group 2 - the false claimants of being followers of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ involve themselves with war and violence and meddle in politics while falsely claiming to be followers of Christ, the Prince of Peace. The give 'lip' service with respect following to the 'letter' the words and commandments of Christ - the term Sunday Christian aptly fits them. They have their creedal doctrines and/or traditions and assign more importance to these than the Inspired Word of Almighty God (YHWH), the Bible. Permit it and do not punish or throw out their members who practice it.

All should be against female circumcism and be looking for answer at to why Islam and the Coptic Church continue to permit this wicked practice.

One member of Islam tried to justify it another way as follows:

<<<"all so-called muslims who preach this are fake muslims not true muslims

i showed above the view of one of the greatest shia religious authority against

this kind of crime against women

yes this ugly practice is wide spread in egypt and other sunni country but to be fair even sunnis are repulsed by these practices

only a minority of fake scholars who dont fear allah are preaching this terrorism against women"[source - a Shia Muslim member of Islam]>>>.

Now this raises a serious question, If this be so, then why are these evil ones tolerated within Islam and not excommunicated or thrown out? Any organization or religion that permits open wrongs is by definition a false religion. Take a look at the example set by the false religion of Roman Catholic Church:

<<<" [Item one] "The History and Practices of the Catholic church
and her Christian daughter Protestant Churches ( a brief history)

Standard Number One: Commandment Nine, "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness," and Commandment Six, "Thou Shalt Not Murder." According to Hebrews 4:12, This not only includes actual murder, but the desire to murder or have murdered. In other words, a person or a Church (group of people) can have murder committed for them, and they don't actually have to get their hands bloody. All they have to do is desire for a murder to occur (murder is the "Intent of Their Hearts")!

The written history of the "Inquisition" is specific in its' details; and some of those details are as follows:

The Inquisition was a medieval Catholic church court instituted to seek out and prosecute heretics (heretics, by Catholic definition, were almost always Sabbath Keeping Sabbatarians). The Church worked in conjunction with the military powers of the land (Kings & Queens) to accomplish their misdeeds. Papal documents as well as the Second, Third, and Fourth Lateran councils (1139, 1179, 1215) prescribed imprisonment (with torture), and confiscation of property as punishment for heresy and threatened to excommunicate princes (Kings & Queens) who failed to punish heretics. They were notoriously harsh, and their procedures resulted in unbelievable tortures, most often resulting in excruciating death; "The Crusaders" were the soldiers used by the inquisition to round up the so called Sabbatarian heretics. The Sabbatarians (Any and All Seventh Day Sabbath Keepers) were burned at the stake, buried alive, had their feet burned off, and were hacked into pieces by the Crusaders. The Inquisition was defended during the Middle Ages by appeal to biblical practices and to the Catholic church father (the "So Called") saint Augustine (354-430AD.), who chose to interpret Luke 14:23 as endorsing the use of physical force against so called heretics.

Luke 14:23 (a physical to Spiritual parallel or anthropomorphism)
23 The lord said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my (Spiritual) house may (ultimately) be filled.

Note: The word Compel, as used in Luke cannot go against Yahweh's Laws of Love. Therefore, the wicked saint Augustine used physical force, when Matthew intended for them to use Moral argument to convince people to come into G_d's house. A True Saint would have known this, but a True Power Hungry Heretic would not care. So here we have an example of a True Heretic (saint Augustine) pretending to be a Saint, and torturing True Saints (Sabbath Keepers) and calling them heretics. One last thought on this standard: Sabbatarians, as a group, never murdered, tortured or persecuted anyone; but, whenever they try to make the Truth Known, they are quickly called "Catholic Bashers." What will Yahweh be called, when He destroys the True Heretical Catholic-christians (Christopagans) from off the face of the Earth?

King Louis IX of France (1229 AD) called Sabbath Keepers heretics.

Catholic canon (Law) #3 (1229 AD) (The Council of Toulouse) Quote: The Lords of the different districts shall search the villas and woods for the hiding places of the Sabbath Keeping heretics.

Standard Number Two: Commandment Four, "Keep The Seventh Day Sabbath Holy." True Believing Sabbatarian Congregations are Overt and not Covert. Why? Mainly, because True Believers have nothing to hide, they are not deceptive, use secret codes or hide behind clever semantics. Additionally, True Believers are humble and obedient to the Words of Yahweh. True Believers are not heretics, who at first pretend to be True Believers, and then over a period of time change their beliefs. The Seventh Day Sabbath was observed as a Holy Day of Convocation, even by the Catholic church, and it wasn't until the Catholic church imagined that they had the power to change the Laws of Yahweh that those "In Power" re-invented "The Lord's Day," and started enforcing Sunday as their "Day of Rest." Revelation 1:10, Acts 2:20, 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Thess. 5:2, and 2 Peter 3:10 are the only places in the Bible that the "Lord's Day" is even mentioned, and those who are Spiritually enlightened know that this is always referring to the (future) Day of "The First Resurrection" when "The Last Trumpet" will sound, and the kingdoms of this Earth become the kingdom(s) of The Son(s) of Yahweh.

Revelation 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet

So when and how did the Catholic-Christian (Christopagan) church begin to reveal its' true identity? History records that the Catholic-Christian church began to show her true colors about the late third or early fourth century.

However, the Catholic-Christian church in Scotland remained loyal to The Saturday Sabbath well into the tenth century, according to: "Ad**nan Life of St. Columbs" 1874, p.96 by W.T. Skene; "History of The Catholic church in Scotland," Vol. 1, p.86, by Bellesheim (a Catholic Historian); "The Rise of The Mediaeval Church," p.237, by Flick; "History of Scotland From The Roman occupation," Vol. 1, p.96, by Andrew Lang; and "Celtic Scotland" Vol. 2, pp.330-349.

The Seventh Day Sabbath prevailed in the Catholic church in Wales until 1115AD. when St. David's Cathedral seated its very first Roman Catholic indoctrinated bishop.

Roman Catholic canon (Law) #26 (305 AD) of The Council of Elvira, Spain, reveals that the church in Spain observed the Seventh Day Sabbath, but were at odds with the church in Rome, because the Rome church had already imposed a Sabbath Fasting Period (to make the True Sabbath unpopular with the masses).

Catholic canon (Law) #16: On Saturday the Gospels and Scripture shall be read aloud.

Catholic canon (Law) #29: Catholic-Christians shall not JUDAIZE (a Jew Hater statement) and be idle on the Sabbath, but shall work on that day, but shall not work on the (re-invented) "Lord's Day."

Pope Sylvester (314-335AD.) was the first to order that the Catholic church "Fast" (go hungry and thirsty) each and every Sabbath (Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset). This was a major change in the Sabbath (and not according to Holy Scripture), and was done to make the Sabbath less appealing than Sunday. Of course, this only psychologically affected the members of The Catholic church, as True Believers (Sabbatarians) continued to keep the True Sabbath according to G_d's Word.

Pope Innocent (402-417) made fasting on The Sabbath a binding law for all in subjugation (psychological and legal slavery) to the Catholic church.

Pope Gregory I (590-604 AD.), according to epistles #1 and #B 13:1, called all those within the Catholic church who forbid working on the Saturday Sabbath, "Antichrists."

Catholic canon (Law) #13: "Council of Friaul," Italy, 791AD., Sunday, the so called "Lord's Day," became a commanded observance (purely CULT tactics).
...
Conclusion: I could continue for days on this subject, but I doubt that very many people would take the time to read it all. Kind of like owning a Bible, which you don't even read. Did you know that having a Bible is a privilege, that not many people have had through the centuries.

Catholic canon Law #14 (of the thirteenth century in France) "Lay members are not allowed to possess the books of the Old or the New Testaments."

Now why would a so called Christian church prohibit their members from having access to the word of YHWH? Could it be because ignorant members are easier for cults to lie to and control, and because control is power, and power relates to profit and vanity? Yes! But more importantly, it relates to "The Will of Satan."

My friends, this Roman Government sponsored church and its' christian harlot daughter churches have not only failed to represent the True Children of G_d, but have murdered them. Has this church group changed its' spots or truly repented of their sins? No! For even now they are trying to regroup and regain the powers that they once had. Have you not heard of Ecumenism? If not click here. The Catholic church is a threat to all True Sabbatarian Believers everywhere. Will we wait in disbelief as the Jews did in World War II? I pray not!

Finally, can any True Believer, follow any of the holiday traditions or ritual practices belonging to or coming out of The Catholic church? Absolutely Not! Why? Because this church is the original "Cult Church" and The Mother of Christian (Christopagan) harlots as mentioned in Revelation 17:4-6. They have perverted every Holy Tradition of Yahweh, mistranslated scripture, replaced Yahweh's Weekly Sabbath with Sunday and Yahweh's Annual Sabbath Holy Days with pagan holidays (Xmas & Easter/Ishtar, etc...), suppressed the study of scripture, murdered True Believers and Jews, assisted Hitler in World War II, perverted the "Breaking of Unleavened Bread" at Passover to the unbroken Sun Wafer of the "Eucharist" at Ishtar/Easter Time and other non-Holy days, and the list goes on. How can any brain conscious human being ever place even an ounce of faith in this perverted religious system.

Revelation 17:4-6
4 The woman (spiritual harlot / false church) was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of (Spiritual) abominations (read Ezekiel & Jeremiah), even the unclean things of her (Spiritual) sexual immorality (with pagan gods and goddesses),
5 and on her forehead a name written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE (Spiritual) PROSTITUTES (Christianity & others) AND OF THE (Spiritual) ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6 I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the (TRUE) saints (Sabbatarians), and with the blood of the martyrs of Yahshua (The TRUE Messiah). When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.

NOTE: This woman is Spiritual Babylon, which was pure paganism (false religions) prior to The Messiah, but was covertly transferred to The Catholic church (Mother of Christianity) even before The Messiah's Sacrifice.[source - The Mother of All Cults
by Dan J. Love, Minister, SCY- www.sabbatarian.com/Spotl...rCult.html ]

Now let's look at some more evidence of the atrocity committing path taken by apostate (Counterfeit) Christians who did NOT follow in the footsteps of him whom they falsely claim is their leader, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the Prince of Peace.

[item two] "Persecution of the Waldenses in France
Popery having brought various innovations into the Church, and overspread the Christian world with darkness and superstition, some few, who plainly perceived the pernicious tendency of such errors, determined to show the light of the Gospel in its real purity, and to disperse those clouds which artful priests had raised about it, in order to blind the people, and obscure its real brightness.

The principal among these was Berengarius, who, about the year 1000, boldly preached Gospel truths, according to their primitive purity. Many, from conviction, assented to his doctrine, and were, on that account, called Berengarians. To Berengarius succeeded Peer Bruis, who preached at Toulouse, under the protection of an earl, named Hildephonsus; and the whole tenets of the reformers, with the reasons of their separation from the Church of Rome, were published in a book written by Bruis, under the title of "Antichrist."

By the year of Christ 1140, the number of the reformed was very great, and the probability of its increasing alarmed the pope, who wrote to several princes to banish them from their dominions, and employed many learned men to write against their doctrines.

In A.D. 1147, because of Henry of Toulouse, deemed their most eminent preacher, they were called Henericians; and as they would not admit of any proofs relative to religion, but what could be deduced from the Scriptures themselves, the popish party gave them the name of apostolics. At length, Peter Waldo, or Valdo, a native of Lyons, eminent for his piety and learning, became a strenuous opposer of popery; and from him the reformed, at that time, received the appellation of Waldenses or Waldoys.

Pope Alexander III being informed by the bishop of Lyons of these transactions, excommunicated Waldo and his adherents, and commanded the bishop to exterminate them, if possible, from the face of the earth; hence began the papal persecutions against the Waldenses.

The proceedings of Waldo and the reformed, occasioned the first rise of the inquisitors; for Pope Innocent III authorized certain monks as inquisitors, to inquire for, and deliver over, the reformed to the secular power. The process was short, as an accusation was deemed adequate to guilt, and a candid trial was never granted to the accused.

The pope, finding that these cruel means had not the intended effect, sent several learned monks to preach among the Waldenses, and to endeavor to argue them out of their opinions. Among these monks was one Dominic, who appeared extremely zealous in the cause of popery. This Dominic instituted an order, which, from him, was called the order of Dominican friars; and the members of this order have ever since been the principal inquisitors in the various inquisitions in the world. The power of the inquisitors was unlimited; they proceeded against whom they pleased, without any consideration of age, sex, or rank. Let the accusers be ever so infamous, the accusation was deemed valid; and even anonymous informations, sent by letter, were thought sufficient evidence. To be rich was a crime equal to heresy; therefore many who had money were accused of heresy, or of being favorers of heretics, that they might be obliged to pay for their opinions. The dearest friends or nearest kindred could not, without danger, serve any one who was imprisoned on account of religion. To convey to those who were confined, a little straw, or give them a cup of water, was called favoring of the heretics, and they were prosecuted accordingly. No lawyer dared to plead for his own brother, and their malice even extended beyond the grave; hence the bones of many were dug up and burnt, as examples to the living. If a man on his deathbed was accused of being a follower of Waldo, his estates were confiscated, and the heir to them defrauded of his inheritance; and some were sent to the Holy Land, while the Dominicans took possession of their houses and properties, and, when the owners returned, would often pretend not to know them. These persecutions were continued for several centuries under different popes and other great dignitaries of the Catholic Church.

Persecutions of the Albigenses
The Albigenses were a people of the reformed religion, who inhabited the country of Albi. They were condemned on the score of religion in the Council of Lateran, by order of Pope Alexander III. Nevertheless, they increased so prodigiously, that many cities were inhabited by persons only of their persuasion, and several eminent noblemen embraced their doctrines. Among the latter were Raymond, earl of Toulouse, Raymond, earl of Foix, the earl of Beziers, etc.

A friar, named Peter, having been murdered in the dominions of the earl of Toulouse, the pope made the murder a pretense to persecute that nobleman and his subjects. To effect this, he sent persons throughout all Europe, in order to raise forces to act coercively against the Albigenses, and promised paradise to all that would come to this war, which he termed a Holy War, and bear arms for forty days. The same indulgences were likewise held out to all who entered themselves for the purpose as to such as engaged in crusades to the Holy Land. The brave earl defended Toulouse and other places with the most heroic bravery and various success against the pope's legates and Simon, earl of Montfort, a bigoted Catholic nobleman. Unable to subdue the earl of Toulouse openly, the king of France, and the queen mother, and three archbishops raised another formidable army, and had the art to persuade the earl of Toulouse to come to a conference, when he was treacherously seized upon, made a prisoner, forced to appear barefooted and bareheaded before his enemies, and compelled to subscribe an abject recantation. This was followed by a severe persecution against the Albigenses; and express orders that the laity should not be permitted to read the sacred Scriptures. In the year 1620 also, the persecution against the Albigenses was very severe. In 1648 a heavy persecution raged throughout Lithuania and Poland. The cruelty of the Cossacks was so excessive that the Tartars themselves were ashamed of their barbarities. Among others who suffered was the Rev. Adrian Chalinski, who was roasted alive by a slow fire, and whose sufferings and mode of death may depict the horrors which the professors of Christianity have endured from the enemies of the Redeemer.

The reformation of papistical error very early was projected in France; for in the third century a learned man, named Almericus, and six of his disciples, were ordered to be burnt at Paris for asserting that God was no otherwise present in the sacramental bread than in any other bread; that it was idolatry to build altars or shrines to saints and that it was ridiculous to offer incense to them.
The martyrdom of Almericus and his pupils did not, however, prevent many from acknowledging the justness of his notions, and seeing the purity of the reformed religion, so that the faith of Christ continually increased, and in time not only spread itself over many parts of France, but diffused the light of the Gospel over various other countries.

In the year 1524, at a town in France, called Melden, one John Clark set up a bill on the church door, wherein he called the pope Antichrist. For this offence he was repeatedly whipped, and then branded on the forehead. Going afterward to Mentz, in Lorraine, he demolished some images, for which he had his right hand and nose cut off, and his arms and breast torn with pincers. He sustained these cruelties with amazing fortitude, and was even sufficiently cool to sing the One hundredth and fifteenth Psalm, which expressly forbids idolatry; after which he was thrown into the fire, and burnt to ashes.

Many persons of the reformed persuasion were, about this time, beaten, racked, scourged, and burnt to death, in several parts of France, but more particularly at Paris, Malda, and Limosin.
A native of Malda was burnt by a slow fire, for saying that Mass was a plain denial of the death and passion of Christ. At Limosin, John de Cadurco, a clergyman of the reformed religion, was apprehended and ordered to be burnt.

See Part 2

Part 2

Francis Bribard, secretary to cardinal de Pellay, for speaking in favor of the reformed, had his tongue cut out, and was then burnt, A.D. 1545. James Cobard, a schoolmaster in the city of St. Michael, was burnt, A.D. 1545, for saying 'That Mass was useless and absurd'; and about the same time, fourteen men were burnt at Malda, their wives being compelled to stand by and behold the execution.

A.D. 1546, Peter Chapot brought a number of Bibles in the French tongue to France, and publicly sold them there; for which he was brought to trial, sentenced, and executed a few days afterward. Soon after, a cripple of Meaux, a schoolmaster of Fera, named Stephen Poliot, and a man named John English, were burnt for the faith.

Monsieur Blondel, a rich jeweler, was, in A.D. 1548, apprehended at Lyons, and sent to Paris; there he was burnt for the faith by order of the court, A.D. 1549. Herbert, a youth of nineteen years of age, was committed to the flames at Dijon; as was also Florent Venote in the same year.
In the year 1554, two men of the reformed religion, with the son and daughter of one of them, were apprehended and committed to the castle of Niverne. On examination, they confessed their faith, and were ordered to execution; being smeared with grease, brimstone, and gunpowder, they cried, "Salt on, salt on this sinful and rotten flesh." Their tongues were then cut out, and they were afterward committed to the flames, which soon consumed them, by means of the combustible matter with which they were besmeared. [source - Foxe's Book of Martyrs by John Fox (or Foxe) was born at Boston, in Lincolnshire, in 1517 and edited by William Byron Forbush]"

Now let's look yet another time at some more evidence of the atrocity committing path taken by apostate (Counterfeit) Christians who did NOT follow in the footsteps of him whom they falsely claim is their leader, Jesus (Yeshua) Christ, the Prince of Peace.

[item three] "This is where the theologian Michael Servitus comes in. In 1546 he wrote a book on spiritual regeneration. He attacked the doctrine of the Trinity. He thought the Nicene Creed dishonored the idea of redemption. That was dangerous thinking during the Protestant Reformation.

Servitus -- almost incidentally -- described the regeneration of blood in the lungs. It was part of his theology of regeneration. But it was quite accurate. Servitus told us just what Harvey did, 85 years later.

Servitus sent a copy of his book to Calvin. Calvin took it very badly. He ordered Servitus's arrest and trial as a heretic. A tribunal sentenced Servitus to burn in a fire fueled by slow-burning green wood and his own books. [source - MICHAEL SERVITUS, by John H. Li]"

Now of course these are only representative examples of atrocities and genocide's committed by apostate (counterfeit) Christians. However, it must also be recognized that both World Wars, 1 and 2, were both started by so called Christian nations and backed by the clergy of apostate (counterfeit) Christians, but not by genuine Christians, the real footstep followers of the Prince of Peace, Jesus (Yeshua), the Son of God (YHWH).

APOSTATE CHRISTIANITY ADOPTED PAGAN FESTIVALS AS THEIR OWN:

Interestingly in the way of festivals and holidays the two distinct paths of so called Christianity also were very different. The apostate (counterfeit) Christians adopted pagan festivals and holidays and gave them a so called Christian facade; whereas, the genuine footstep followers had nothing to do with them.

Let's look at an example of this so called Christian façade being put on a pagan festival and holiday.

"The Two Babylons, by Alexander Hislop
Chapter III

Festivals

Section I. Christmas and Lady-day
If Rome be indeed the Babylon of the Apocalypse, and the Madonna enshrined in her sanctuaries be the very queen of heaven, for the worshipping of whom the fierce anger of God was provoked against the Jews in the days of Jeremiah, it is of the last consequence that the fact should be established beyond all possibility of doubt; for that being once established, every one who trembles at the Word of God must shudder at the very thought of giving such a system, either individually or nationally, the least countenance or support. Something has been said already that goes far to prove the identity of the Roman and Babylonian systems; but at every step the evidence becomes still more overwhelming. That which arises from comparing the different festivals is peculiarly so.

The festivals of Rome are innumerable; but five of the most important may be singled out for elucidation--viz., Christmas-day, Lady-day, Easter, the Nativity of St. John, and the Feast of the Assumption. Each and all of these can be proved to be Babylonian. And first, as to the festival in honour of the birth of Christ, or Christmas. How comes it that that festival was connected with the 25th of December? There is not a word in the Scriptures about the precise day of His birth, or the time of the year when He was born. What is recorded there, implies that at what time soever His birth took place, it could not have been on the 25th of December. At the time that the angel announced His birth to the shepherds of Bethlehem, they were feeding their flocks by night in the open fields. Now, no doubt, the climate of Palestine is not so severe as the climate of this country; but even there, though the heat of the day be considerable, the cold of the night, from December to February, is very piercing, and it was not the custom for the shepherds of Judea to watch their flocks in the open fields later than about the end of October. *

* GILL, in his Commentary on Luke 2:8, has the following: "There are two sorts of cattle with the Jews...there are the cattle of the house that lie in the city; the cattle of the wilderness are they that lie in the pastures. On which one of the commentators (MAIMONIDES, in Misn. Betza), observes, 'These lie in the pastures, which are in the villages, all the days of the cold and heat, and do not go into the cities until the rains descend.' The first rain falls in the month Marchesvan, which answers to the latter part of our October and the former part of November...From whence it appears that Christ must be born before the middle of October, since the first rain was not yet come." KITTO, on Deuteronomy 11:14 (Illustrated Commentary), says that the "first rain," is in "autumn," "that is, in September or October." This would make the time of the removal of the flocks from the fields somewhat earlier than I have stated in the text; but there is no doubt that it could not be later than there stated, according to the testimony of Maimonides, whose acquaintance with all that concerns Jewish customs is well known.

It is in the last degree incredible, then, that the birth of Christ could have taken place at the end of December. There is great unanimity among commentators on this point. Besides Barnes, Doddridge, Lightfoot, Joseph Scaliger, and Jennings, in his "Jewish Antiquities," who are all of opinion that December 25th could not be the right time of our Lord's nativity, the celebrated Joseph Mede pronounces a very decisive opinion to the same effect. After a long and careful disquisition on the subject, among other arguments he adduces the following;--"At the birth of Christ every woman and child was to go to be taxed at the city whereto they belonged, whither some had long journeys; but the middle of winter was not fitting for such a business, especially for women with child, and children to travel in. Therefore, Christ could not be born in the depth of winter. Again, at the time of Christ's birth, the shepherds lay abroad watching with their flocks in the night time; but this was not likely to be in the middle of winter. And if any shall think the winter wind was not so extreme in these parts, let him remember the words of Christ in the gospel, 'Pray that your flight be not in the winter.' If the winter was so bad a time to flee in, it seems no fit time for shepherds to lie in the fields in, and women and children to travel in." Indeed, it is admitted by the most learned and candid writers of all parties * that the day of our Lord's birth cannot be determined, ** and that within the Christian Church no such festival as Christmas was ever heard of till the third century, and that not till the fourth century was far advanced did it gain much observance.

* Archdeacon WOOD, in Christian Annotator, LORIMER's Manual of Presbytery. Lorimer quotes Sir Peter King, who, in his Enquiry into the Worship of the Primitive Church, &c., infers that no such festival was observed in that Church, and adds--"It seems improbably that they should celebrate Christ's nativity when they disagreed about the month and the day when Christ was born." See also Rev. J. RYLE, in his Commentary on Luke, who admits that the time of Christ's birth is uncertain, although he opposes the idea that the flocks could not have been in the open fields in December, by an appeal to Jacob's complaint to Laban, "By day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night." Now the whole force of Jacob's complaint against his churlish kinsman lay in this, that Laban made him do what no other man would have done, and, therefore, if he refers to the cold nights of winter (which, however, is not the common understanding of the expression), it proves just the opposite of what it is brought by Mr. Ryle to prove--viz., that it was not the custom for shepherds to tend their flocks in the fields by night in winter.

** GIESELER, CHRYSOSTOM (Monitum in Hom. de Natal. Christi), writing in Antioch about AD 380, says: "It is not yet ten years since this day was made known to us". "What follows," adds Gieseler, "furnishes a remarkable illustration of the ease with which customs of recent date could assume the character of apostolic institutions." Thus proceeds Chrysostom: "Among those inhabiting the west, it was known before from ancient and primitive times, and to the dwellers from Thrace to Gadeira [Cadiz] it was previously familiar and well-known," that is, the birth-day of our Lord, which was unknown at Antioch in the east, on the very borders of the Holy Land, where He was born, was perfectly well-known in all the European region of the west, from Thrace even to Spain!

How, then, did the Romish Church fix on December the 25th as Christmas-day? Why, thus: Long before the fourth century, and long before the Christian era itself, a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of the year, in honour of the birth of the son of the Babylonian queen of heaven; and it may fairly be presumed that, in order to conciliate the heathen, and to swell the number of the nominal adherents of Christianity, the same festival was adopted by the Roman Church, giving it only the name of Christ. This tendency on the part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed; and we find Tertullian, even in his day, about the year 230, bitterly lamenting the inconsistency of the disciples of Christ in this respect, and contrasting it with the strict fidelity of the Pagans to their own superstition. "By us," says he, "who are strangers to Sabbaths, and new moons, and festivals, once acceptable to God, the Saturnalia, the feasts of January, the Brumalia, and Matronalia, are now frequented; gifts are carried to and fro, new year's day presents are made with din, and sports and banquets are celebrated with uproar; oh, how much more faithful are the heathen to their religion, who take special care to adopt no solemnity from the Christians." Upright men strive to stem the tide, but in spite of all their efforts, the apostacy went on, till the Church, with the exception of a small remnant, was submerged under Pagan superstition. That Christmas was originally a Pagan festival, is beyond all doubt. The time of the year, and the ceremonies with which it is still celebrated, prove its origin. In Egypt, the son of Isis, the Egyptian title for the queen of heaven, was born at this very time, "about the time of the winter solstice." The very name by which Christmas is popularly known among ourselves--Yule-day --proves at once its Pagan and Babylonian origin. "Yule" is the Chaldee name for an "infant" or "little child"; * and as the 25th of December was called by our Pagan Anglo-Saxon ancestors, "Yule-day," or the "Child's day," and the night that preceded it, "Mother-night," long before they came in contact with Christianity, that sufficiently proves its real character.
* From Eol, an "infant." In Scotland, at least in the Lowlands, the Yule-cakes are also called Nur-cakes. Now in Chaldee Nour signifies "birth." Therefore, Nur-cakes are "birth-cakes." The Scandinavian goddesses, called "norns," who appointed children their destinies at their birth, evidently derived their name from the cognate Chaldee word "Nor," a child.

Far and wide, in the realms of Paganism, was this birth-day observed. This festival has been commonly believed to have had only an astronomical character, referring simply to the completion of the sun's yearly course, and the commencement of a new cycle. But there is indubitably evidence that the festival in question had a much higher reference than this--that it commemorated not merely the figurative birth-day of the sun in the renewal of its course, but the birth-day of the grand Deliverer. Among the Sabeans of Arabia, who regarded the moon, and not the sun, as the visible symbol of the favourite object of their idolatry, the same period was observed as the birth festival. Thus we read in Stanley's Sabean Philosophy: "On the 24th of the tenth month," that is December, according to our reckoning, "the Arabians celebrated the BIRTHDAY OF THE LORD--that is the Moon." The Lord Moon was the great object of Arabian worship, and that Lord Moon, according to them, was born on the 24th of December, which clearly shows that the birth which they celebrated had no necessary connection with the course of the sun. It is worthy of special note, too, that if Christmas-day among the ancient Saxons of this island, was observed to celebrate the birth of any Lord of the host of heaven, the case must have been precisely the same here as it was in Arabia. The Saxons, as is well known, regarded the Sun as a female divinity, and the Moon as a male. *

SHARON TURNER. Turner cites an Arabic poem which proves that a female sun and a masculine moon were recognised in Arabia as well as by the Anglo-Saxons.
It must have been the birth-day of the Lord Moon, therefore, and not of the Sun, that was celebrated by them on the 25th of December, even as the birth-day of the same Lord Moon was observed by the Arabians on the 24th of December. The name of the Lord Moon in the East seems to have been Meni, for this appears the most natural interpretation of the Divine statement in Isaiah lxv. 11, "But ye are they that forsake my holy mountain, that prepare a temple for Gad, and that furnish the drink-offering unto Meni." There is reason to believe that Gad refers to the sun-god, and that Meni in like manner designates the moon-divinity. *

*See KITTO, vol. iv. p. 66, end of Note. The name Gad evidently refers, in the first instance, to the war-god, for it signifies to assault; but it also signifies "the assembler"; and under both ideas it is applicable to Nimrod, whose general character was that of the sun-god, for he was the first grand warrior; and, under the name Phoroneus, he was celebrated for having first gathered mankind into social communities. The name Meni, "the numberer," on the other hand, seems just a synonym for the name of Cush or Chus, which, while it signifies "to cover" or "hide," signifies also "to count or number." The true proper meaning of the name Cush is, I have no doubt, "The numberer" or "Arithmetician"; for while Nimrod his son, as the "mighty" one, was the grand propagator of the Babylonian system of idolatry, by force and power, he, as Hermes, was the real concocter of that system, for he is said to have "taught men the proper mode of approaching the Deity with prayers and sacrifice"

(WILKINSON); and seeing idolatry and astronomy were intimately combined, to enable him to do so with effect, it was indispensable that he should be pre-eminently skilled in the science of numbers. Now, Hermes (that is Cush) is said to have "first discovered numbers, and the art of reckoning, geometry, and astronomy, the games of chess and hazard" (Ibid.); and it is in all probability from reference to the meaning of the name of Cush, that some called "NUMBER the father of gods and men" (Ibid.). The name Meni is just the Chaldee form of the Hebrew "Mene," the "numberer" for in Chaldee i often takes the place of the final e. As we have seen reason to conclude with Gesenius, that Nebo, the great prophetic god of Babylon, was just the same god as Hermes, this shows the peculiar emphasis of the first words in the Divine sentence that sealed the doom of Belshazzar, as representing the primeval god--"MENE, MENE, Tekel, Upharsin," which is as much as covertly to say, "The numberer is numbered." As the cup was peculiarly the symbol of Cush, hence the pouring out of the drink-offering to him as the god of the cup; and as he was the great Diviner, hence the divinations as to the future year, which Jerome connects with the divinity referred to by Isaiah. Now Hermes, in Egypt as the "numberer," was identified with the moon that numbers the months. He was called "Lord of the moon" (BUNSEN); and as the "dispenser of time" (WILKINSON), he held a "palm branch, emblematic of a year" (Ibid.). Thus, then, if Gad was the "sun-divinity," Meni was very naturally regarded as "The Lord Moon."

Meni, or Manai, signifies "The Numberer." And it is by the changes of the moon that the months are numbered: Psalm civ. 19, "He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth the time of its going down." The name of the "Man of the Moon," or the god who presided over that luminary among the Saxons, was Mane, as given in the "Edda," and Mani, in the "Voluspa." That it was the birth of the "Lord Moon" that was celebrated among our ancestors at Christmas, we have remarkable evidence in the name that is still given in the lowlands of Scotland to the feast on the last day of the year, which seems to be a remnant of the old birth festival for the cakes then made are called Nur-Cakes, or Birth-cakes. That name is Hogmanay. Now, "Hog-Manai" in Chaldee signifies "The feast of the Numberer"; in other words, the festival of Deus Lunus, or of the Man of the Moon. To show the connection between country and country, and the inveterate endurance of old customs, it is worthy of remark, that Jerome, commenting on the very words of Isaiah already quoted, about spreading "a table for Gad," and "pouring out a drink-offering to Meni," observes that it "was the custom so late as his time [in the fourth century], in all cities especially in Egypt and at Alexandria, to set tables, and furnish them with various luxurious articles of food, and with goblets containing a mixture of new wine, on the last day of the month and the year, and that the people drew omens from them in respect of the fruitfulness of the year." The Egyptian year began at a different time from ours; but this is a near as possible (only substituting whisky for wine), the way in which Hogmanay is still observed on the last day of the last month of our year in Scotland. I do not know that any omens are drawn from anything that takes place at that time, but everybody in the south of Scotland is personally cognisant of the fact, that, on Hogmanay, or the evening before New Year's day, among those who observe old customs, a table is spread, and that while buns and other dainties are provided by those who can afford them, oat cakes and cheese are brought forth among those who never see oat cakes but on this occasion, and that strong drink forms an essential article of the provision.

Even where the sun was the favourite object of worship, as in Babylon itself and elsewhere, at this festival he was worshipped not merely as the orb of day, but as God incarnate. It was an essential principle of the Babylonian system, that the Sun or Baal was the one only God. When, therefore, Tammuz was worshipped as God incarnate, that implied also that he was an incarnation of the Sun. In the Hindoo Mythology, which is admitted to be essentially Babylonian, this comes out very distinctly. There, Surya, or the sun, is represented as being incarnate, and born for the purpose of subduing the enemies of the gods, who, without such a birth, could not have been subdued. *
See the Sanscrit Researches of Col. VANS KENNEDY. Col. K., a most distinguished Sanscrit scholar, brings the Brahmins from Babylon (Ibid.). Be it observed the very name Surya, given to the sun over all India, is connected with this birth. Though the word had originally a different meaning, it was evidently identified by the priests with the Chaldee "Zero," and made to countenance the idea of the birth of the "Sun-god." The Pracrit name is still nearer the Scriptural name of the promised "seed." It is "Suro." It has been seen, in a previous chapter, that in Egypt also the Sun was represented as born of a goddess.

It was no mere astronomic festival, then, that the Pagans celebrated at the winter solstice. That festival at Rome was called the feast of Saturn, and the mode in which it was celebrated there, showed whence it had been derived. The feast, as regulated by Caligula, lasted five days; * loose reins were given to drunkenness and revelry, slaves had a temporary emancipation, ** and used all manner of freedoms with their masters.

Subsequently the number of the days of the Saturnalia was increased to seven.
** If Saturn, or Kronos, was, as we have seen reason to believe, Phoroneus, "The emancipator," the "temporary emancipation" of the slaves at his festival was exactly in keeping with his supposed character.
[source - The Two Babylon's," by Reverend Alexander Hilsop, Chapter III, which you can read for yourself at philologos.org/__eb-ttb/sect31.htm ]"[source - Discourse on the Two Paths of So Called Christianity - The Genuine and the Counterfeit by Iris the Preacher, 2002]>>>.

REALITY IS THAT ISLAM 'WINKS' AT THIS EVIL PRACTICE:

Now of course the reality of the matter is, If an organization or a religion permits wrong doing to continue and does NOT take steps to stop the wrong doing and punish the wrong doing, it becomes guilty itself for failure to act when it should have. As the old saying goes, a little rot in an apple will cause the entire apple to rot if not cut out, and the same goes with regard an organization looking the other way with respect known wrong doing by its members. This reality has just been shown with respect the Roman Catholic Church.

Of course NOT all in Islam, to their credit, agree with this gross wickedness. Let's look at what one of these who did NOT agree with this gross wickedness said per another member of Islam:

<<<" The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, issued a Fatwa in which he considered that all what causes harm to the soul, body and the sexual abilities of the males or females, as prohibited acts. He pointed out to the phenomenon of female circumcision and stressed that the woman's parents or guardians do not have the right to do any thing that is against her, especially if it causes harm to her.

His Eminence emphasized that female circumcision is neither legislated by the Islamic Sharia nor is it a part of the Sunnah of the Prophet (p.). He also indicated that Islam did not deal with the inherent social customs in a head-on way, but in a gradual way that leads to the termination of this custom in the long run.

He also stressed that Islam has dealt with some customs and practices and even some concepts by building an intellectual foundation that respects the woman.

Answering some questions about the Islamic view regarding female circumcision, His Eminence said:

‘When we study the reported traditions in this context, we find that female circumcision was not legislated by the Islamic Sharia, nor had it any basis in Islam, but it was just a custom that was practiced in the pre-Islamic times as a means for the woman to adorn herself for her husband or for herself.’

In this regard, we find that the traditions of Ahel El Beit, clearly show that the Sunna disapproves female circumcision, that is called "khafd Al-Jawari". Abo Basir Al-Maradi said that Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir (a.s.) has said: "I asked Abu Ja'far (a.s) about a bondwoman that was captured from the land of polytheism and there was no woman to circumcise her. The Imam said: "The Sunna recommended the circumcision of men and not of women." It is also narrated that Imam Ja'far As-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "circumcising a male slave is a part of the Sunna of the Prophet(p.), but circumcising a bondwoman is not." Another tradition shows that the Sunna did not recommend the female circumcision, but it is considered as one of the noble social habits. Musada bin Sadaqah said that Abi Abdillah (a.s.) has said: "Circumcising women is a noble deed but neither a part of the Sunna of the Prophet nor a must".

From the traditions that we have already mentioned, we clearly understand that the female circumcision is not legislated by the Sunna, which means that Islam did not make a recommendable legislation for female circumcision as an act that represents a preponderant interest that would justify such a legislation. But it is more one of the noble social habits that were considered among the traditions and customs that were practiced at that time. It might be also understood from the first tradition that the inquirer did not come to the Imam (a.s.) to ask him about the fatwa on circumcision, but about what to do in case there is no woman to perform it, and that made the Imam's answer to be considered as a direct guidance for the inquirer, considering that the female circumcision is an issue that is not related to Islam form the juristic point of view.

Perhaps, it is clear that facing the social customs that are embodied in people's behavior could not be approached in a head-on way. But, they should be dealt with in a gradual way that leads to the eradicating of this custom in the long run. Islam has practiced this in freeing the slaves. That is because the absolute prohibition may lead to big tremors in the social systems in life, while finding indirect ways to get rid of slavery has lead to its termination without the need for a social revolution that would have prevented Islam from achieving some of its basic goals at that time.

The same analysis may lead us to say that when Islam dealt with some traditions and conducts and even some concepts, it sought to find a rational foundation that respects the woman as a human being who has her own entity in life exactly like man, and which helps a lot in finding a psychological foundation that makes the woman has confidence in herself and feels her existence. In addition, this will make her feel that sex is not a social disgrace, but a human and natural need for both men and women. All that leads to eliminating many customs that are not preponderant in themselves, but rather have negative effects on more than one level.

Imam As-Sadiq (a.s) said: "When the women immigrated to the Prophet (p.), there was among them, a woman called Um Habib - in another narration she is called Um Tiba-, who used to practice female circumcision. When the Prophet (p.) saw her, he told her: "Do you still practice the same job?" She replied, "Yes, until it becomes prohibited and you prevent me from doing it". Then the Prophet (p.) answered, "It is lawful. Come nearer and let me teach you." When she approached him, he said, "Um Habib, when you circumcise, don't wear out and don't mutilate, for this is better for the radiance of woman's face and is more preferred by the husband".

This Hadith pertains to the Islamic guidance that we mentioned and it may also point out to the gradual way that leads to the termination of customs in the long run. It also reveals, through the Prophet's (a.s) question to the woman, that female circumcision is not among the acts that are absolutely permissible. A kind of doubt is also revealed through the woman's question to the prophet (p.) whether this act is prohibited or not. Thus, the Prophet gave the woman the instructions as to how to perform this act stressing the necessity to perform it in a way that does not harm the woman. We even understand from the Prophet's saying: "Don't wear out and do not mutilate", that it is jurisprudentially prohibited to wear out or mutilate, since the religious jurists have concluded that the apparent meaning of the text shows that it is prohibited unless another evidence proves other wise.

As a result, female circumcision is neither a recommendable act of the Sunna, nor a must. Besides, what Islam has done regarding it is that it has made it a non jurisprudential issue in order to make a room for the changes of the social customs, starting from the fact that the Imams have emphasized that it is not a part of the Sunna, in addition to development of the intellectual foundation based on the experience along with contemplation... all that paves the way for the scientific development to study the consequences and deciding accordingly on prohibiting the act or providing guidance.

Therefore, we consider that any issue that is not a part of the Islamic Sharia and does not cause harm, as a personal issue that could not be imposed.

Besides, woman's parents or guardians do not have the right to do what is against her interest that is determined scientifically and objectively. And all what leads to negative results whether physically or not, is deemed jurisprudentially prohibited... " [source - A Shia Muslim member of Islam reporting on what one religious authority said]>>>.

But the practice continues within Islam unabated, and the practitioners are NOT being punished and/or stopped.

CONCLUSION:

As has been shown, many have in effect admitted that it is a pagan practice practiced by Muslims so in effect admitting the news article was absolutely correct.

Genuine (true) followers of Christ in Africa do not practice this horrible despicable practice, but only some Muslims [[mostly Sunni]]and apostate (counterfeit) so called Christians. This proves both are only really pagan religions wrapping themselves in a facade of something else.

What member of Islam said, with respect a Practice of a Horrible Heathen Crime Against Nature.

<<<"[[4]]How do you know true christians don't do this? Is there anything in your bible that forbids this practice?

[[1]]What about for a girl who is deformed down there and has a need for this precedure? Is it wrong for her to have it as well?

[[2]]Do you realize that women who live in very hot climates like Africa, experience swelling in that area, making this type of operation necessary for them to live a normal life?

[[3]]I have never said that muslims around the world do not have cultural practices that have little or nothing to do with Islam.... it doesn't make it wrong or right based on that alone though.">>>

Now let's look past these lies and false accusations at the truth:FIRST [[1]], There is no medical need for this procedure. The following article from an encyclopedia will clearly show this and the fact that it is bad for a women's health. Saying there are medical reasons for same is nothing but AN OUTRIGHT LIE.

SECOND [[2]], Your saying that,

<<<"in very hot climates like Africa, experience swelling in that area, making this type of operation necessary for them to live a normal life?">>>

Is AN OUTRIGHT LIE in no way backed by medical knowledge, see article below.

THIRD [[3]], You refuse to accept that many members of Islam practice this heathen horrible sex crime against young girls. Is AN OUTRIGHT REJECTION OF REALITY which goes completely against the principles of education, learning, and the truth.

FOURTH [[4]], Genuine (true) followers do not practice this heathen horrible sex crime against young girls. The statement,

<<<" How do you know true christians don't do this? Is there anything in your bible that forbids this practice?">>>

Is nothing but a deceptive question similar to the one used by Satan the Devil in the Garden of Eden, AN OUTRIGHT LIE in the form of a question.

FIFTH, LIES LIKE THIS ARE UN-EXCUSABLE, and show that any religion whose members resort to same are being controlled by Satan the Devil per John 8:44, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and standeth not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof." (American Standard Version; ASV).

Members of Islam Practice Horrible Heathen Crime Against Nature. Now let's look at just what this horrible crime against nature is:

<<<”Female genital cutting (FGC) refers to the excision or tissue removal of any part of the female genitalia for cultural, religious or other non-medical reasons. It is more frequently referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision (FC).The term FGC does not refer to gender reassignment surgery or the genital modification of intersexuals. Different terms are used to describe the act of female genital cutting, but regardless of the terminology the same practice is being referred to.

Opponents of these practices tend to use the term Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), whereas groups who support and practice this ritual tend to use the term Female Circumcision (FC), which is also considered an euphemism.

Advocates of male circumcision argue that the term "female circumcision" results in unwanted associations between the two practices, while genital integrity advocates might refer to all child genital cutting as mutilation.

The expression Female Genital Mutilation gained growing support in the late 1970s. The word mutilation not only established clear linguistic distinction from male circumcision, but it also emphasized the gravity of the act. In 1990, this term was adopted at the third conference of the Inter African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC) in Addis Ababa.

In 1991, the World Health Organization recommended that the United Nations adopt this terminology and subsequently, it has been widely used in UN documents.

Amnesty International and the World Health Organization most often refer to the practice as 'Female Genital Mutilation'.[1][2][3][4]The use of the word mutilation reinforces the idea that this practice is a violation of the human rights of girls and women, and thereby helps promote national and international advocacy towards its abandonment.

At the community level, however, the term can be problematic. Local languages generally use the less judgmental "cutting" to describe the practice; parents understandably resent the suggestion that they are "mutilating" their daughters. In this spirit, in 1999, the UN called for tact and patience regarding activities in this area and drew attention to the risk of "demonizing" certain cultures, religions and communities. As a result, the term "cutting" has increasingly come to be used to avoid alienating communities.[5]In 1996 the UNFPA-sponsored Reproductive, Educative, And Community Health program coined the term 'Female Genital Cutting', observing that 'Female Genital Mutilation' may "imply excessive judgment by outsiders as well as insensitivity toward individuals who have undergone some form of genital excision.[6]

There are several distinct practices of FGC that range in severity, depending on how much genital tissue is cut away. Four major types have been categorized (see Diagram 1), although there is some debate as to whether all common forms of FGC fit into these four categories, as well as issues with the reliability of reported data.[7]Clitoridectomy involves the removal or splitting of the clitoral hood, termed "hoodectomy" (or "clitorodotomy"), with or without excision of the clitoris, see Diagram 1B. The clitoral hood is the female prepuce, homologous to the foreskin of the male.

This term was devised in The Sudan by the Anglo-Sudanese administration in 1946 in an attempt to promote this "milder" form of FGC instead of the more severe Type III, infibulation or pharaonic circumcision, that was widely practiced.[8] Although labeled Sunna by Islamic advocates of the practice, most MusliType III is the most severe form of FGC and is called infibulation or pharaonic circumcision (referring to the Pharaohs who were thought to practice this form). Infibulation involves extensive tissue removal of the external genitalia, including all of the labia minora and the inside of the labia majora, leaving a raw open wound. The labia majora are then held together using thorns or stitching and the girl's legs are tied together for two - six weeks, to prevent her from moving and allow the healing of the two sides of the vulva. Nothing remains of the normal anatomy of the genitalia, except for a wall of flesh from the pubis down to the anus, with the exception of a pencil-size opening at the inferior portion of the vulva to allow urine and menstrual blood to pass through, see Diagram 1D.

This type of FGC is often carried out by an elderly matron or midwife of the village on girls between the ages of two and six, without anaesthetic and under unhygienic conditions.[11]A reverse infibulation can be performed to allow for sexual intercourse (often by the husband using a knife on the wedding night) or when undergoing labor, or by female relatives, whose responsibility it is to inspect the wound every few weeks and open it some more if necessary. During childbirth, the enlargement is too small to allow girl thingyl delivery, and so the infibulation must be opened completely and restored after delivery. Once again, the legs are tied together to allow the wound to heal, and the procedure is repeated for each subsequent act of intercourse or childbirth. When childbirth takes place in a hospital, the surgeons may preserve the infibulation by enlarging the girl thingy with deep episiotomies. Afterwards, the patient may insist that her vulva be closed again so that her husband does not reject her.[11]This practice is reported to cause the disappearance of sexual pleasure for the women affected, as well as major medical complications. Most advocates of the practice continue to perform the procedure in adherence to standards of beauty that are very different from those in the west. Many infibulated women will contend that the pleasure their partners receive due to this procedure is a definitive part of a successful marriage. Many clergy oppose all forms of female genital cutting as it is viewed as a social custom, rather than a religious practice.

According to Dr. Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Salieh at the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law:Excision refers to clitoridectomy (removal of the prepuce and the clitoris) plus the partial or total removal of the labia minora, the inner lips of the vulva, see Diagram 1C. Type II circumcision is a more extensive form of FGC compared to Type I and due to the sewing together of the leftover labia minora epidermis, which contains sweat glands, a buildup of sweat and urine in the closed off space beneath this closure can lead to local or urinary infection, septicemia, hemorrhaging and cyst formation.[10] This type of FGC is also called khafd, meaning reduction in Arabic. Female genital cutting is today [[Today is NOT pre-Islamic times.]] mainly practiced in African countries. It is common in a band that stretches from Senegal in West Africa to Somalia on the East coast, as well as from Egypt (Who have just banned FGC[12]) in the north to Tanzania in the south... In these regions, it is estimated that more than 95% of all women have undergone this procedure. It is also practiced by some groups in the Arabian peninsula, especially among a minority (20%) in Yemen.[13]The countries that practice FGC the most are Somalia, followed by Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Mali. Among ethnic Somali women, infibulation is traditional and nearly universal.

In the Arab peninsula, Sunna circumcision is usually performed, especially among Arabs (ethnic groups of African descent are more likely to prefer infibulation).Whilst FGC is widely practiced out in the open by African Muslims [[This is today, NOT PRE-iSLAMIC times.]], it is practiced in secrecy in some parts of the Middle East. The practice occurs particularly in northern Saudi Arabia, southern Jordan, and Iraq, and there is also circumstantial evidence to suggest it is present in Syria, western Iran and southern Turkey.[14] In Oman a few communities still practice FGC; however, experts believed that the number of such cases was small and declining annually.

In the United Arab Emirates and also Saudi Arabia, it is practiced mainly among foreign workers from East Africa and the Nile Valley.The practice can also be found among a few ethnic groups in South America and India. In Indonesia[15] the practice is fairly common among the country's Muslim women; however, in contrast to Africa, almost all are Type I or Type IV, the latter usually involving the symbolic pricking of blood release. Due to immigration, the practice has also spread to Europe, Australia and the United States. Some tradition-minded families have their daughters undergo FGC whilst on vacation in their home countries. As Western governments become more aware of FGC, legislation has come into effect in many countries to make the practice of FGC a criminal offense. In 2006 [[NOT a pre-Islamic time]], Khalid Adem became the first man in the United States to be prosecuted for mutilating his daughter.Medical consequencesAmong practicing cultures, FGC is most commonly performed between the ages of four and eight, but can take place at any age from infancy to adolescence. Prohibition has led to FGC going underground, at times with people who have had no medical training performing the cutting without anesthetic, sterilization, or the use of proper medical instruments. The procedure, when performed without any anesthetic, can lead to death through shock from immense pain or excessive bleeding. The failure to use sterile medical instruments may lead to infections and the spread of disease, such as HIV, especially when the same instruments are used to perform procedures on multiple women.[10]Other serious long term health effects are also common. These include urinary and reproductive tract infections, caused by obstructed flow of urine and menstrual blood, various forms of scarring and infertility. The first time having sexual intercourse will often be extremely painful, and infibulated women will need the labia majora to be opened, to allow their husband access to the girl thingy. This second cut, sometimes performed by the husband with a knife, can cause other complications to arise.The health consequences of FGC vary from region to region and from researcher to researcher.

An in-depth analysis by Carla Obermeyer (2003) shows that past studies, plagued by "incomplete analysis" and "inconsistent numbers", have greatly overestimated the likelihood of serious medical complications resulting from FGC procedures (401). She notes that there is no significant statistically represented relationship between FGC and sexually transmitted diseases/infections, infertility or birth complications (402). Her study illustrates how the opposers of FGC may be relying on inadequate health data to justify their opposition, and instead more meaningful and relevant medical research needs to be conducted in order to help support the cessation of this practice. A June 2006 study by the WHO has cast doubt on the safety of genital cutting of any kind.[29] This study was conducted on a cohort of 28,393 women attending delivery wards at 28 obstetric centers in areas of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and The Sudan. A high proportion of these mothers had undergone FGC. According to the WHO criteria, all types of FGC were found to pose an increased risk of death to the baby (15% for Type I, 32% for Type II, and 55% for Type III). Mothers with FGC Type III were also found to be 30% more at risk for cesarean sections and had a 70% increase in postpartum hemorrhage compared to women without FGC.

Estimating from these results, and doing a rough population estimate of mothers in Africa with FGC, an additional 10 to 20 per thousand babies in Africa die during delivery as a result of the mothers having undergone genital cutting. In cases of repairing the damage resulting from FGC, called de-infibulation when reversing Type III FGC, this is usually carried out by a gynecologist. See also Pierre Foldes, French surgeon, who developed modern surgical corrective techniques. A 12 year-old Egyptian girl, Badour Shaker, died in June, 2007 during or soon after a circumcision. She died from an overdose of anesthesia. The girl's mother, Zeniab Abdel Ghani, paid $9.00 [or 5 British pounds] to a female doctor, in an illegal clinic in the southern town of Maghagh, for the operation. The doctor tried to give her $3,000 to withdraw a lawsuit, but the mother refused.[source - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]>>>.

So my statement, <<<"Now of course the reality of the matter is, If an organization or a religion permits wrong doing to continue and does NOT take steps to stop the wrong doing and punish the wrong doing, it becomes guilty itself for failure to act when it should have. As the old saying goes, a little rot in an apple will cause the entire apple to rot if not cut out, and the same goes with regard an organization looking the other way with respect known wrong doing by its members.">>>.

Holds and is valid.

FOOTNOTES: for those wanting more information:

Learn the awful facts from United Nations sources on female circumcision or gentile mutilation/cutting that all should condemn, go to the following:

*Ending Female Genital Mutilation: United Nations Population Fund
UNFPA supports several country-level programmes to abolish female genital mutilation/cutting, such as alternative safe rituals to serve as rites of passage.www.unfpa.org/gender/practices1.htm - 40k - Cached - Similar pages

*FAQs on Female Genital Mutilation: United Nations Population Fund
Frequently Asked Questions on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.www.unfpa.org/gender/practices2.htm - 69k - Cached - Similar pages

*What is female genital mutilation?
What is female genital mutilation? What actions are being taken to prevent it? ... The United Nations strategy for combatting this practice is guided by two ...www.un.org/geninfo/faq/factsheets/FS3.HTM - 6k - Cached - Similar pages
[PDF]

*Ending female genital mutilation
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTMLUnited Nations agencies in their Joint Statement of 27 February 2008,. pledging to continue working towards the elimination of female ...www.un.org/.../Final%20L2%20ending%20female%20genital%20mutilation%20-%20advance%20unedited.pdf - Similar pagesMore results from www.un.org "

*United Nations Publications
Changing a Harmful Social Convention: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting ... Paperback Series: Innocenti Digest Publisher: United Nations Children's Fund ...https://unp.un.org/details.aspx?pid=17589 - 86k - Cached - Similar pages
Female Genital Mutilation

*Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the collective name given to several ... Consequently, a large number of United Nations bodies and conferences have ...www.reproductiverights.org/ww_iss_fgm.html - 40k - Cached - Similar pages

*Female Circumcision: Rite of Passage Or Violation of Rights?
Female circumcision, the partial or total cutting away of the external female genitalia ..... United Nations (UN), Report of the International Conference on ...www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/2313097.html - 37k - Cached - Similar pages

*Razor's Edge - The Controversy of Female Genital Mutilation
The United Nations has designated 8 February as the "International Day of Zero Tolerance of ... ETHIOPIA: Female circumcision declines in southern region ...www.irinnews.org/webspecials/FGM/default.asp - 130k - Cached - Similar pages

*Female genital cutting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The procedures were commonly referred to as female circumcision, ... a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), recommended that the UN adopt this ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_cutting - 186k - Cached - Similar pages

*WHO | Female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes procedures that intentionally alter or .... A new statement, with wider United Nations support, was then issued in ...www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/ - 24k - Cached - Similar pages

What is female genital mutilation? What actions are being taken to prevent it? ... The United Nations strategy for combatting this practice is guided by two ...www.un.org/geninfo/faq/factsheets/FS3.HTM - 6k -
[PDF] pages [source - United Nations Population Fund]

*Ending female genital mutilation
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTMLUnited Nations agencies in their Joint Statement of 27 February 2008,. pledging to continue working towards the elimination of female ...www.un.org/.../Final%20L2%20ending%20female%20genital%20mutilation%20-%20advance%20unedited.pdf - Similar pagesMore results from www.un.org " [source - United Nations Population Fund]

*United Nations Publications
Changing a Harmful Social Convention: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting ... Paperback Series: Innocenti Digest Publisher: United Nations Children's Fund ...https://unp.un.org/details.aspx?pid=17589 - 86k - pages [source - United Nations Population Fund] *Ending Female Genital Mutilation: United Nations Population Fund

UNFPA supports several country-level programmes to abolish female genital mutilation/cutting, such as alternative safe rituals to serve as rites of passage.www.unfpa.org/gender/practices1.htm - 40k - [source - United Nations Population Fund]

*FAQs on Female Genital Mutilation: United Nations Population Fund
Frequently Asked Questions on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.www.unfpa.org/gender/practices2.htm - 69k - [source - United Nations Population Fund]

How many Muslims treat their young women – the REALITY.

100,000 women undergo brutal genital mutilation illegally in Britain (and some of the victims are as young as TEN)
* Police have failed to bring forward a single conviction
* Only two doctors have ever been struck off by the General Medical Council
* Victims often suffer in silence and sometimes battle to stand or walk
* One doctor offered to perform the procedure on a 10-year-old girl for £750
By Pamela Owen
PUBLISHED: 04:26 EST, 22 April 2012 | UPDATED: 07:44 EST, 22 April 2012
* As many as 100,000 women in Britain have undergone female genital mutilations with medics in the UK offering to carry out the illegal procedure on girls as young as 10, it has been reported.
* Investigators from The Sunday Times said they secretly filmed a doctor, dentist and alternative medicine practitioner who were allegedly willing to perform circumcisions or arrange for the operation to be carried out.
* The doctor and dentist deny any wrongdoing.
The practice, which involves the surgical removal of external genitalia and in some cases the stitching of the vaginal opening, is illegal in Britain and carries up to a 14 year prison sentence.
It is also against the law to arrange FGM.
Supermodel turned UN ambassador Waris Dirie was mutilated aged 5
Research suggests that every year up to 6,000 girls in London are at risk of the potentially fatal procedure, and more than 22,000 in the UK as a whole.
The Metropolitan Police said since 2008, it had received 166 reports of people who fear they are at risk of FGM but it has failed to bring forward a single perpetrator.
It is the same for all 43 forces across England and Wales with no convictions for the offence ever taking place.
Only two doctors have ever been struck off by The General Medical Council since 1980.
The Sunday Times uncovered a respected dentist who was prepared to circumcise two girls, aged 10 and 13 and a GP who referred an undercover reporter to the dentist.
They also spoke to a supplier who deals in alternative medicine who offered to circumcise a 10 year-old girl for £750.
A midwife in Birmingham also said she had seen the number of mutilations in the area treble since 2002.
Alison Byrne, a specialist midwife at the Birmingham's Heartlands hospital who has helped pioneer treatment for women suffering from the condition said she has had patients aged between 16 and 40.
She said she had some women who had been left with an opening the size of a matchstick through which to pass urine and menstrual blood.
Ms Byrne added that as a result many of the women developed severe infections and can continuously bleed for days on end.
More...
* MI5 betrayed Libya dissidents to Gaddafi spies in London sting: Secret documents exposed by the MoS trigger political storm
* Sixth time’s the charm: Polygamist South African president Jacob Zuma beams with delight as he marries Gloria Ngema (while his other three wives look on)
She has said there is a huge lack of training and knowledge among medical staff which is causing a serious problem.
Doctors at the hospital now offer a procedure called deinfibulation which involves the removal of scar tissue formed by the cutting of the clitoris.
It is offering hope to dozens of women affected by the condition.
It is also estimated that one in 20 women in parts of London are victims of the practice.[
Minister for equalities Lynne Featherstone said: 'Female genital mutilation is an abhorrent crime and we are very clear that hose found to practice it should feel the full force of the law.'
According to Forward, a charity which campaigners against FGM, an estimated 100,000 women in the UK have undergone mutilation.
Supermodel turned United Nations ambassador Waris Dirie, who was mutilated aged 5 in her home country of Somalia, is a vociferous opponent of the practice.
Calling for a crackdown on FGM, she said: 'If a white girl is abused, the police come break down the door. If a black girl is mutilated, nobody takes care of her. This is what I call racism.'
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION - THE DIFFERENT TYPES
Majority of FGMs occur in Africa and Middle Eastern countries where it is seen as vital in preserving chastity.
In Somalia, Sudan and parts of Egypt more than 90 per cent of women are forced to go through with the procedure.
The first type involves the removal of the clitoris. The second type involves the removal of the clitoris and part of the labia - the outer part of the vagina.
This is the most common and account for about 80 per cent of FGMs.
The third type involves the removal of all external genitalia and stitching of the vaginal opening. Scar tissue eventually develops and only a small hole is left open.
The final type is the most severe and often leaves the women with infections and serious emotional scars.
It involves the cutting and sewing of the vagina and at times the introduction of a foreign substance into the vagina.
[source - retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133427/100-000-women-undergo-brutal-sexual-mutilation-illegally-Britain.html on 4/27/2012]

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Guardian - UK - Extreme Abuse Of Women By Members of Islam
Waris Dirie, a model who campaigns against FGM, said: 'If a white girl is abused, police break down the door. If a black girl is mutilated, no one takes care of her.' Photograph: Joerg Carstensen/EPA
As many as 100,000 women in Britain have undergone female genital mutilations (FGM) with medics in the UK offering to carry out the illegal procedure on girls as young as 10, it has been reported.
Investigators from the Sunday Times said they had secretly filmed a doctor, dentist and alternative medicine practitioner who were allegedly willing to perform FGM or arrange for the operation to be carried out. The doctor and dentist deny any wrongdoing.
The practice, which involves the surgical removal of external genitalia and in some cases the stitching of the vaginal opening, is illegal in Britain and carries up to a 14-year prison sentence. It is also against the law to arrange FGM.
The procedure is widespread across parts of Africa. Victims are rarely given anaesthetic and frequently suffer long-term damage and pain.
Research suggests that every year more than 22,000 girls in the UK and up to 6,000 in London are at risk of the potentially fatal procedure.
The Metropolitan police said that since 2008 it had received 166 reports of people who feared they were at risk of FGM. Across all 43 forces in England and Wales, no one has ever been convicted of the offence, according to the Sunday Times.
The newspaper added that only two doctors had been struck off by the General Medical Council since 1980.
According to Forward, a charity which campaigns against FGM, an estimated 100,000 women in the UK have undergone mutilation.
The model Waris Dirie, who was mutilated as a child, is a vociferous opponent of the practice.
Calling for a crackdown on FGM, she said: "If a white girl is abused, the police come break down the door. If a black girl is mutilated, nobody takes care of her. This is what I call racism." [source - retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/22/female-genital-mutilation-uk-medics?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=feed on 4/27/2012]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The silent agony caused by female genital mutilation

Freddy Macha Thursday, 26 April 2012 21:11

A CHAT FROM LONDON

kilimanjaro1967@hotmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Last weekend ‘The Sunday Times’ headlines screamed about the increasing number of sick immigrant women seeking medical help. “Up to 100,000 women in Britain have undergone brutal sexual mutilations,” the respected paper said following a secret undercover investigation that exposed African doctors offering illegal operations costing £750 per session.

Around ten years ago a Tanzanian High Commission official in London told me the number of registered Tanzanian nationals living in the UK was approximately 100,000.

If we statistically agree that immigrants make less than 30 per cent of the overall population (roughly 60 million Britons) then 100,000 women is quite a large amount. According to BBC, main communities practising female genital mutilation in the UK are from Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea.

In 2001 World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated at least 138 million women who have been mutilated. Traditionally the practice used to be mostly an African and Middle East affair but because of increased immigration the habit is spreading. No wonder authorities are concerned.

Speaking to Sky News, head of ethics at the British Medical Association, Professor Vivienne Nathanson said pressure to circumcise females as young as ten years old is coming from home countries through grandmothers, aunties and mothers “who massacre these girls.”

The Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2003 states that it is an offence to cut a girl’s genitals (unless medically necessary) and therefore punishable to up to 14 years in jail. What the media in the UK is saying is despite such stern laws, no one has been convicted.

“If a white girl is abused the police come and break down the door. If a black girl is mutilated nobody takes care of her,” Somali model, Waris Dirie told ‘Sunday Times’. Waris (who was herself mutilated as a child) has been campaigning to end female genital mutilation since 1997 as a United Nations ambassador.
And what exactly is female genital mutilation?

Defenders of FGM argue it has lasted thousands of years before even Islam and Christianity were established. So unknown is this tradition that part of the campaign by medical people is to raise awareness of its evil. The major aim of FGM is to reduce sensitivity and make women less sexually excited so that they remain faithful to their spouses.

FGM is divided into four types starting with removal of part of the external female sexual organs. This type of operation accounts for majority of all cases. The third type requires incision of all genitalia and stitching it to leave a tiny opening for urinating and menstrual blood while the fourth one cuts everything and introduces corrosive substances into the vagina. Women campaigners interpret this as male control – although some of the staunchest supporters of the habit are women themselves. A Sierra Leone lady defended the tradition as making a woman “pure and more hygienic.”

Problem is this so-called “hygienic” culture is creating misery and suffering to women- numbers of sick women reporting to be treated in UK clinics is rising. While 109 females reported in 2003, figures had tripled to 317, four years later. Among problems these women experience include taking up to 20 minutes to urinate and cramps caused by prolonged menstruation (up to 28 days) because of blockage.

An FMG clinic in Birmingham (Heartlands) caters independently for women who have suffered this ordeal by performing surgery and repair.
Discussions in forums are hot. Digital Spy Forum last Sunday:

“It does make it impossible for them to ever enjoy sex. Genital mutilation in girls is akin to foot binding of girls in ancient China causing unimaginable pain for a very long period of time, frequent deaths and a lifelong disability.”

Emily 222 wondered:
“Supposedly it is so the girls are pure when they marry! So, God made them impure at birth? God made a mistake in giving the female of the species the same equipment as the male for enjoyment of sex? Just as sickening is that the children’s mothers condone it.”

I once heard the story of a Sudanese woman who fled to Scandinavia. Her husband who travelled regularly to the Middle East would order her genitals to be sealed. On returning the genitals would be re-opened. The same procedure would be repeated when she gave birth. During pregnancy she would be surgically unzipped then after her baby was born, stitched again. This pattern would follow each birth and her husband’s business trips.

Currently almost two thirds of Tanzanian regions practice FGM. When I highlighted the custom a few years ago some readers argued that criticising the ancient, cruel habit is “Europeanisation of our cultures.”

Any thing that applauds torture by calling it “our culture” is similar to the superstitious way Albinos are being murdered for “luck or wealth.” This is not only sinful and morally wrong but contributes to weakening the spirit of our working women-massive contributors to our family and national economies.

Mr Macha is a writer and musician based in London. Blog: www.freddymacha.blogspot.com [source - retrieved from http://thecitizen.co.tz/editorial-analysis/20-analysis-opinions/21806-the-silent-agony-caused-by-female-genital-mutilation.html on 4/27/2012]

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Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood MP Seeks to Abolish Female Rights and Enforce Female Genital Mutilation
by Raymond Ibrahim
Jihad Watch
April 26, 2012

http://www.meforum.org/3221/egypt-female-genital-mutilation
According to the Egyptian website Youm 7, Azza al-Jarf, a female Member of Parliament representing the Muslim Brotherhood's "Freedom and Justice Party," is trying to abolish several laws currently enjoyed by Egyptian women—including preventing them from divorcing or even separating from their husbands, because "the man has the authority and stewardship" (see Koran 4:34); mandating that fathers must circumcise their daughters; and trying to get the Egyptian educational system to ban the teaching of the English language—on the grounds that it is an "infidel" tongue—while separating boys and girls in classrooms and forcing girls to wear the hijab.
Ms. Jarf, of course, is not the first Muslim female in Egypt opposed to her own gender; earlier, another female politician declared that "women are deficient in intelligence and religion," and that, in agreement with Sharia law, they are banned from running for presidency.
At any rate, repressive and discriminatory laws, not to mention laws that mutilate the human body—such represent the Muslim Brotherhood's idea of "Freedom and Justice," the telling name of their political wing.
Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum.
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