VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #1948 1771344
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 261344Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5834

UNCLAS CAIRO 001948 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI PREL PGOV KWMN KISL EG
SUBJECT: MUFTI ISSUES FATWA AGAINST FEMALE GENITAL 
MUTILATION 
 
REF: CAIRO 345 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (U)  On June 23, Dr. Ali Gomaa, Egypt,s Mufti, issued an 
official fatwa on Al-Mehwar satellite TV banning female 
genital mutilation (FGM).  His fatwa, proclaiming that it is 
"religiously prohibited to circumcise girls," was issued 
following Egyptian press coverage of the death of a 12 year 
old girl last week during a FGM operation at a rural clinic 
in Southern Egypt.  The Mufti in his comments said, "I have 
said this once and will say it again many times-- this 
practice is haram, haram, haram (forbidden, forbidden, 
forbidden)." The Mufti,s announcement last week is the first 
such senior-level Egyptian fatwa against this dangerous 
practice although the Grand Sheikh of Al Azahar, Mohamed 
Sayyed Tantawi, has previously called FGM "un-Islamic." 
 
¶2. (U)  The fatwa comes after a November 2006 conference at 
Al-Azhar University entitled "Banning the Violation of 
Women,s Bodies" (ref). At the conference, for the first 
time, scholars and influential religious institutions spoke 
out in unison against the custom.  Although recently 
opposition to FGM has risen, it is still estimated to be 
practiced by a majority of Egyptian Muslim and Christian 
women. In a recent survey regarding FGM, 60% of Egyptians 
polled believes that the procedure is required by "religious 
precepts."  Following Gomma,s fatwa, Dr. Soad Saleh, a well 
known professor of jurisprudence, reiterated in the Egyptian 
press that FGM is not part of Islam. 
 
¶3. (U)  The Egyptian Doctor,s Syndicate has reportedly 
launched an investigation into the death of the deceased 
12-year old girl.  According to press reports, the girls 
father has filed a lawsuit against the doctor who performed 
the operation for negligence, and he could face up to 2 years 
in jail.  First Lady Suzanne Mubarak commented to reporters 
on June 25 that the girl's death "is the beginning of the end 
of FGM" and it "is proof of the negative, inhumane practices 
of FGM."  Ambassador Moshira Khattab, Secretary General of 
the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, called on 
the People,s Assembly to endorse "a severe" penalty on the 
doctor.  Khattab noted that, by harshly punishing the doctor, 
he will serve as an example for other doctors and 
practitioners.  Khattab publicly thanked the Mufti for 
issuing the fatwa, asserting that "lives of girls will be 
saved without being accused of implementing a  western 
agenda.," Other Egyptian NGO leaders believe that a law 
should drafted to formally make FGM a crime. 
 
¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: The Mufti,s fatwa is a step in the right 
direction towards stemming the practice of FGM in Egypt. 
Embassy contacts comment that the next operational step in 
the fight against FGM is for the Minister of Awqaf (Religious 
Endowments) to instruct imams of Egyptian mosques to tackle 
the issue during Friday sermons-- "people need to be assured 
that it is now officially haram to practice FGM and that it 
is not part of Islam." 
 
RICCIARDONE