Is this GUY crazy, hrazy, or neither

[makalajabti]

The more people will talk about it, the more images they'll see, the more ashamed they will be, the better.

FGM (the Type III is the worst) is so traumatising that most young somalis girls don't wanna talk about it even with their doctors, or with their mums.

So they need someone else to speak for them.

[Jacpher]

Let’s not personalize the subject. I have seen the opening of the book on a Somali TV and the guest speakers included some prominent Somali elders namely Abdirizaq Haji Hussein but I don’t know if that was the first or the new edition. I haven’t seen or read the book and I don’t know the wisdom behind drawing deformed images of Somali women genitals. Is he in search of publicity or sympathy that may last a day or two? There is got to be a better strategy of keeping the awareness alive and going.

 

Before you beat the drums for the author, here’s link of a paragraph he supposedly wrote in an article couple of years ago which linked Somali men & Hijabi women to terrorism. The author of the article later apologized to the community and confessed someone else perhaps the head of the paper added that paragraph.

[sheherazade]

^Hey, u say you're not familar with the book, but you beleive there's a better way- what's his way first of all? Besides doesn't the book cover a myriad of Somali-related subjects? It isn't sprecifically for FGM, is it? What sympathy could he possibly draw on(a pun, eek)? You say let's not personalise and yet u mention the supposed article-in the hope the beating of drums stops(I must be losing my hearing)- even though he apologised and claimed someone else added the offending paragraph. Fair's fair, J! What is your intention?

 

Has anybody come across this book?

[xiinfaniin]

^^Sheh, lets get one fact squarely straight: FGM is bad cultural practice and needs to be addressed, and eventually eradicated. It serves no purpose at all.

 

Getting that out of the way lets now tackle what is the best approach to deal with it. There isn’t a silver bullet to this prevailing problem, you would agree, as it has its roots in a entrenched tradition where it had been presented, throughout the ages, as symbol of modesty and a virtue to be had. There are many plausible strategies to entertain, but writing a book for a western consumption and graphically depict disfigured part in it serves no purpose other than create a new perception about Somali sisters. Midda kale, if one genuinely aims to address this problem would it not be a logical step to target his campaign and direct it to the said community? Tell me what is the point of writing a book while the area where this problem persists is in the hinterland of rural Somalia, in which, in my estimate, very few people would be able to get it, much less read?

 

The best approach to stop this culture is to get the people who are in place of authority involved. The elders, religious scholars, and educated class need to step in and do real work on the ground to raise awareness about this issue; highlight its severity in both emotional and medical sense, and educate people how it contradicts with the sound religious tradition that we ought to be following instead. That’s the way to go about it if one really wants to effectively address it. But if one interested to gain some profits and make capital out of the suffering of fellow sisters, one would not be wrong to tune his message to the dictates of market place and create appealing snapshot of it. That is not only ineffective, but it also has the scent of insincerity breezing out of it, I detect.

 

And no, I am not suggesting that the Xalimos are to be blamed for this misery. As I said before, they are victims of a culture that still savagely practices a pre-Islamic tradition, and does it with a particular pride.

 

And finally, why would you shrink from your duty and waste your precious energy in seeking fuel for a fire that does not exist? Amelia, as I am sure of it, knows that I of all people would not seek to damage her character or bring unneeded attention to her. That’s not what I do, and if she insists that the imagined ‘little dig’ went deeper than this cyber ground, I will do what I do best, which is retract it and apologize.

[- Femme -]

I understand having the drawings for appropriate books such as medical texts and such but a book geared toward american/western people? Excuse me? Hows that going to stop women back home to put down the razor? A large majority of somalis in the west are educated enough not to want this for their girls, but were not talking about the west.

 

What needs to be done is to go back home and teach those people who carry out the practise, those that advocate for it, and the parents that insist upon continuing this barbaric practice, the consequences, the harm it causes, how the diin deals with the subject and so on.

 

But a book, printed in english and distributed in MN isn't going to change life back in somalia.

 

the book is for Americans who are interested in knowing more about the traditions, values, norms, customs, and history of the Somalis.

because these types of books can end up in libraries of schools, I don't think it's appropriate and takes away from the book's goals.

[Socod_badne]

Originally posted by Amelia:

FGM is a shameful practice, and one of the reasons its still ongoing is that people are too ashamed to talk about it, much less draw pictures of it. I'm all for exposing the backward, ignorant, cruel and barbaric practices in our society for the whole world to see... rotten is as rotten does.

 

Co-Signed Socod_Badne,

 

 

Whether advertently or not, this author (who I never heard before now) is instant national hero in my books. Lets not quibble over his motives as that is beside the point. The effect is what matters and boy did he ruffle some snarky feathers. Just the mere fact this inchoate albeit lurid act on his behalf has garnered so much attention forebodes favourably if replicated in the future. They say pictures speak louder words, couldn't be any more truer. Clitorectomy is pernicious social practice for us Somalis that must end at once, graphical depiction of its outcome will only shorten its shelf life.

 

The motor for societal progress for all human history has been HONESTY... brutal, impassionate, probing, demanding, pearcing, dissecting honesty. A society that can't look inward, introspect, unreservedly and openly discuss social ills, is one progress will forever allude. Forget about extricating itself from whatever undesired rut it finds itself. Pictorially sketching mutilated genitals will not detract from Somali girls dignity nor will it add untoward pain or suffering. A preposterous suggestion since what's being denounced is responisble for the most egregious violation of Somali girl's body and dignity. It is hoped perpetrators and advocates of clitorectomy will cringe and hide their faces in shame and opprobrium. Pro-FGM somalis should be made into social anathemas... revealing what they do and support to young girls is the most effective means at our disposal. I say we should utilise it to its potential.

 

But I must add, FGM is just ONE of many social ills. More accurately, it is one symptom of a sick and ailing body that is Somali soceity. Be it chronic qabillism, underdevelopment, instability, warring, famines, pervasive ineptness etc In this light, its unreasonable to expect much headway will be made in the fight against FGM while the cause of it, the sick somali body, remains untreated.

[Guhaad]

^Lol, SB are you by any chance a walking dictionary.

 

Sheh, I am sorry to have dropped something and lefted it. here are some quick answers to your questions. The picture is not a real one, but a hand drawn one, pure lines, connections, and so on. Alot of time has not been put into its perfection, but i guess the emphasis was on the SPOT.

 

the book does cover alot of areas besides FGM, but i think the new edition has put an effort to expand on that section by discussing it more and including this drawing on top of it.

 

His name, no real reason and i said it, i was gonna name him when taunted. I didn't want the discussion to leak into the person than the ideas, or in this case, the picture.

 

as for the suffering, i meant all the tragic episodes we have been through, but more importantly FGM; that i haven't experienced it or am victim of it doesn't mean i don't feel the pain felt by the million mothers, sisters, and aunts in and out of Somalia.

[Arawella]

He is plain loco.

 

People, crazy as it may sound some women are all for FGM and I am not just referring to the older generation.

 

Gosh, I am dreading this book! It was bad enough when the ‘Desert Flower’ by Waris Dirie was published and now another with awkward graphic! Somali writers are quite impossible people and lack creativity! Just leave Somali female genital whether altered or intact ALONE!!

[sheherazade]

Originally posted by xiinfaniin:

There are many plausible strategies to entertain, but writing a book for a western consumption and graphically depict disfigured part in it serves no purpose other than create a new perception about Somali sisters.

In black and white, what is this perception? I'm not following you at all. U've said they're not to blame so what else are you suggesting?

 

Midda kale, if one genuinely aims to address this problem would it not be a logical step to target his campaign and direct it to his to the said community? Tell me what is the point of writing a book while the area where this problem persists is in the hinterland of rural Somalia, in which, in my estimate, very few people would be able to get it, much less read?

 

You've ASSUMED this man's on a mission to address FGM and bring about change. The book sounds like a factual, cultural introduction to Somalis. It doesn't sound like its meant to tackle FGM amongst Somalis in the West or somewhere back in Somalia- u have given it this lofty goal. FGM is a part of Somali culture, neglecting its mention would have made the book incomplete. Why does its mention irk some? Are you blushing for the ladies? Whose modesty is at stake here?

 

What I want to understand is why the mere mention of FGM in this man's book as part of the rest of Somali culture should be justified? Why FGM more than uunsi, say? They're both as prevalent.

 

And finally, why would you shrink from your duty and waste your precious energy in seeking fuel for a fire that does not exist? Amelia, as I am sure of it, knows that I of all people would not seek to damage her character or bring unneeded attention to her. That’s not what I do, and if she insists that the imagined ‘little dig’ went deeper than this cyber ground, I will do what I do best, which is retract it and apologize.

 

I wasn't adding fuel, I was agreeing with her. You did put the attention on her unnecessarily, you did patronise her by calling her 'fickle' , u're still patronising her by calling it an 'imagined' dig and it doesn't matter what goes beyond this cyber environment, I don't know nor care to know, I only commented on what I read here and your offer of an apology if your cyber words extend beyond this forum(even though they only occurred within this forum) is the worst sort of I-may-apologise-if-my-bizarre-conditions are met offer I have ever read.

 

Anyway, she'll expand on it or not, let's see whether she imagined your words and dragged their imaginary backsides beyond the cyber world. If so, I'd love to know how. I often imagine the most luxurious, fantastical of scenarios, dragging them into the real world would be a hoot. Amelia ought to givelife-changing seminars and teach that skill- I'd be first in line. What say u, girl? Can you or can't u make the unreal real?

 

Thanks for the info, K.

[makalajabti]

FGM is also practised by somalis people living in western countries. It's not confined to Africa and Somalia.

 

Here are some disturbing pictures of FGM:

 

oh, no there aren't, not on SOL

 

[ March 29, 2006, 17:29: Message edited by: sheherazade ]

[Johnny B]

^ Do you by any chance think that the women who are for FGM today hate their daughters?

exactly , i don´t think so either.

 

FGM is a hard to get rid of social ill, most social ills with a religious touch are such.

 

unless the Mullahs start calling it 'haram', it is gonna be there, becouse the mindset of the Somali culture is either something is 'haram' or 'halal', meaning as long as practising FGM is not 'Haram' then it is atleast 'semi'halal', and that cuts for the rabbles.

 

That those who would preach it´s ugliness and un-religiousness are advocating for it, and feeding those women who are for it with rubbish.

 

I rather blame the Mullahs instead of the disinformed females.

[- Femme -]

Malakajabti or Mods, can u edit ur pics? It's too graphic and there is no nude pic policy here. Doesn't matter the reason.

[Valenteenah.]

The mullahs seem to be mighty busy pushing polygamy and women's wear these days. Action on FGM will need to come from other sources, as it has in the past.

[makalajabti]

Why not She? some people here have not idea what it looks like.

I know it was a little bit too graphic, I wasn't comfortable either when I saw them but I don't see why it should be deleted. 95% of Somalian women had it done. The remaining 5% are lucky to have escaped the mutilation.

Anyway for those who want 2 see them: google "fgm pictures" and you'll get them.

[sheherazade]

^ against forum rules. I can stomach most things but it's not my site! Make your points well within the rules and your contribution will still be effective.