Reply #68: I'm glad we agree. [View All]

We agree totally on all counts, which I find refreshing.

I have followed this subject and its male counterpart for 11 years now. I was heavily active for about 4 of those years. I have in fact become completly and totally jaded on the subject. I generally stay away, but when I saw the vitriol in the postings, which was a mirror image of my own, I had to come out and say something about it. Especially since it was female circ that first led me to examine male. But, lets get real here. No DU'er really cares about this subject, we're all going to froth at the mouth on this thread, and then abandon it once it cycles off the page. I know the Ethiopians don't care what we think, most people in this country certainly don't give a damn what I think.

I think what bothers me the most however, is that people are not even open to honest discussion of the subject. They won't do research, they won't listen to oppossing view points. In 11 years I've learned enough that I can successfully argue both sides, male and female, fight either field for either team using any bent of arguement. But when nobody on either side will listen, what's the point?

Here's an arguement worth considering. In traditional Islamic and African societies, female virginity (lack thereof) is a reason for stoning to death of the female in question. female circ (the worse the better in this case) makes the question of virginity a guarentee in the case of infibulation, or easily ascertainable and less like lost in the case of clitoridectomy (clitoral removal), or at least more easily recognised in the case of sunna (clitoral hood removal). In this case female circ actually prevents deaths.

The closest the male counterpart can come to a benefit like that is in the potential decrease in UTI rate leading to lowered cases of renal failure in neonates. Thus making female circ more medically worthwhile than female. And furthermore the more excessive the female circ the more helpfull it is to the female in question. AND it has to be done before they reach the age of sexual maturity to be effective.

One would argue that perhaps we should attempt to change that societies view on female virginity and the Koran's interpretation therein. I would agree. Shouldn't we focus on the murder of women by these societies before we focus on a procedure which will keep them safer from being murdered?