It is a mistake to equate Islam with abhorrent cultural practices. Those masking patriarchal acts behind religion are disingenuous. I do not accept the subjugation of women to have anything to do with Muhammad. After all his boss was a woman, Khadija
Well, he did say to be gentle while performing the procedure:
"A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet ﷺ said to her: Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband." --Abu Dawood (5271)
There are other hadiths that presuppose that circumcision has been performed on both females and males.
The validity of some hadiths is occasionally disputed, and the different legal schools (madhabs) take different positions on them. Some consider the hadith above to be weak (da'eef). Nevertheless, the different schools all approve of female circumcision, with at least one saying it's required:
Shafi'i school: obligatory
Hanbali school: strongly encouraged or obligatory
Hanafi school: preferred
Maliki school: recommended
Twelver Shiites are outright opposed to it. But some other Shiite groups are in favor.
There is an Islamic principle (الأصل في الأشياء الإباحة) that applies here. It means that if the Quran or the sunnah doesn't prohibit something, it's permissible. That is especially so in cases like this where Muhammad was aware of the practice but didn't forbid it.
Moreover, the majority of the madhabs say it is either preferred or actually required. These schools have tremendous authority going back to the 8th and 9th centuries.
To their credit, a number of modern Islamic jurists have outright denounced the practice, and secular authorities like the Egyptian and Jordanian govt. have outlawed it.
But the proof is in the pudding: as noted in the article, FGM is extremely widespread in a number of countries.
You have misrepresented what I said. Abhorrent practices are nothing to do with Islam. From what you say those practices pre-existed Islam. That the people who practice it are Muslims is irrelevant. Perhaps before they are Muslims the people who advocate FGM are men. Your Islamophobia is showing.
You missed the point above that the four major schools of Islamic Jurisprudence either encourage FGM or deem it obligatory. QED.
Tossing around ad hominems like "Islamophobia" does little more than concede that you lack actual data or cogent arguments.
In any case, you're missing the broader point, which is that these and other practices are quite prevalent in many areas. Whether they originate from Islam or somewhere else is not all that germane to the discussion of whether we should be importing them. Frankly, I don't care if Christians or Bogomils are practicing FGM; it's incompatible with our country's longheld values.
You are given to straw men arguments. As far as I know most Western countries make FGM a crime which it should be. Your claims about all four schools of (Sunni) sharia advocating is pure bunkum. It happens especially in Somalia but it is forbidden. Muhammad did not advocate it. That is where I started and you offer no “data” to refute it.
For the last time, the permissibility has not been disputed in all the schools of fiqh. They all recommend it, and one outright requires it. I have referenced the original texts for two of these. You are free to look the others up yourself if you doubt it.
Islamic jurisprudence is highly complex and, whilst flexible, it suffers, as does the common, from impermanence which is the disadvantage of flexibility.
It is a mistake to equate Islam with abhorrent cultural practices. Those masking patriarchal acts behind religion are disingenuous. I do not accept the subjugation of women to have anything to do with Muhammad. After all his boss was a woman, Khadija
Well, he did say to be gentle while performing the procedure:
"A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet ﷺ said to her: Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband." --Abu Dawood (5271)
There are other hadiths that presuppose that circumcision has been performed on both females and males.
The validity of some hadiths is occasionally disputed, and the different legal schools (madhabs) take different positions on them. Some consider the hadith above to be weak (da'eef). Nevertheless, the different schools all approve of female circumcision, with at least one saying it's required:
Shafi'i school: obligatory
Hanbali school: strongly encouraged or obligatory
Hanafi school: preferred
Maliki school: recommended
Twelver Shiites are outright opposed to it. But some other Shiite groups are in favor.
Leaving aside the weakness of the attribution the saying is not advocating the procedure. It is saying merely scratch if you must.
There is an Islamic principle (الأصل في الأشياء الإباحة) that applies here. It means that if the Quran or the sunnah doesn't prohibit something, it's permissible. That is especially so in cases like this where Muhammad was aware of the practice but didn't forbid it.
Moreover, the majority of the madhabs say it is either preferred or actually required. These schools have tremendous authority going back to the 8th and 9th centuries.
To their credit, a number of modern Islamic jurists have outright denounced the practice, and secular authorities like the Egyptian and Jordanian govt. have outlawed it.
But the proof is in the pudding: as noted in the article, FGM is extremely widespread in a number of countries.
You have misrepresented what I said. Abhorrent practices are nothing to do with Islam. From what you say those practices pre-existed Islam. That the people who practice it are Muslims is irrelevant. Perhaps before they are Muslims the people who advocate FGM are men. Your Islamophobia is showing.
You missed the point above that the four major schools of Islamic Jurisprudence either encourage FGM or deem it obligatory. QED.
Tossing around ad hominems like "Islamophobia" does little more than concede that you lack actual data or cogent arguments.
In any case, you're missing the broader point, which is that these and other practices are quite prevalent in many areas. Whether they originate from Islam or somewhere else is not all that germane to the discussion of whether we should be importing them. Frankly, I don't care if Christians or Bogomils are practicing FGM; it's incompatible with our country's longheld values.
You are given to straw men arguments. As far as I know most Western countries make FGM a crime which it should be. Your claims about all four schools of (Sunni) sharia advocating is pure bunkum. It happens especially in Somalia but it is forbidden. Muhammad did not advocate it. That is where I started and you offer no “data” to refute it.
Where is it in the Qu’ran? It’s not there is it? As you should know it is disputed in all the schools.
For the last time, the permissibility has not been disputed in all the schools of fiqh. They all recommend it, and one outright requires it. I have referenced the original texts for two of these. You are free to look the others up yourself if you doubt it.
Islamic jurisprudence is highly complex and, whilst flexible, it suffers, as does the common, from impermanence which is the disadvantage of flexibility.