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Leyla Hussein was born in Somalia and has long lived in Britain. Age seven, she underwent female genital mutilation – which she describes as sexual assault. She is a prominent, fearless, and also, frankly, delightful campaigner against this. With Jay, she talks about different angles of FGM. You know what class of people she has taken the most flak from? White liberal women. Treat yourself to this “Q&A,” and to the extraordinary Leyla Hussein.
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@jaynordlinger, kudos to Leyla Hussein for her good works. But her message might be more powerful if she would be truthful about the role of Islam in FGM. She either is unaware or does not know that one of the four principal schools of Sunni jurisprudence, the Sha’afi school, regards FGM as mandatory and another, the Hanbali school, regards it as highly recommended and laudatory. Moreover, she astonishingly claims that FgM, which is strictly forbidden in Jewish law, is widely practiced in Jewish communities. This is simply a slander.
Fantastic podcast! What a warrior. What a gorgeous warrior. What an exemplary standard-bearer: an individual who refuses to bow to, much less love, a lie.
It’s a bit more complicated than that. It was practiced among Jewish Ethiopians quite sadly.
The problem with FGM practiced by Muslims as opposed to FGM done by Christians and Jews is that when Ethiopian Jews or Christians leave Ethiopia they give it up. I’ve never heard of any Christian or Jew take a trip back to Ethiopia to continue this practice. This might be because the Christian Orthodox Church of Eritrea and Ethiopia and the Lutheran and Catholic Churches are totally against FGM.
I hope that Muslim scholars follow in the footsteps of Christians and make it explicit that G-d loves babies.
I am a long time fan of Jay Nordlinger. This is one of the best interviews he has ever done. It is not a pleasant subject, but was discussed in an entirely appropriate manner. Truly cannot recommend this highly enough.