VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #2087 1891048
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081048Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6028

UNCLAS CAIRO 002087 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SOCI PREL PGOV KWMN KISL EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT'S HEALTH MINISTRY BANS FGM; FORMAL ANTI-FGM 
LEGISLATION PENDING 
 
REF: A. CAIRO 01948 
     ¶B. CAIRO 00345 
 
 ¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  Following the June 23 issuance of a 
televised fatwa banning female genital mutilation (FGM) by 
Egypt's Mufti (Ref A), Health Minister Dr. Hatem Al-Gabaly 
issued a decree on June 28 banning the practice.  Formal 
legislation affirming the Health Minister's decree is pending 
until the People's Assembly reconvenes in mid-November.  At 
the same time, anti-FGM advocacy by First Lady Suzanne 
Mubarak has focused increased attention on the issue of FGM 
in Egypt.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) On June 28, Minister of Health Al-Gabaly issued a 
decree placing a permanent ban on the practice of FGM.  The 
decree stated: "it is prohibited for any doctors, nurses, or 
any other person to carry out any cut of, flattening, or 
modification of any natural part of the female reproductive 
system, whether in government hospitals, non-government 
facilities, or any other places."  This ban is not 
enforceable as law, which would require GOE efforts to move 
forward formal legislation banning FGM.   In the last week, 
Al-Gabaly stated that the GOE is formulating anti-FGM 
legislation to criminalize the practice, which will be 
considered in the next session of the People's Assembly 
(currently adjourned, but which will begin a new session in 
mid-November).  In the interim, the Health Ministry is 
reportedly organizing awareness campaigns regarding the 
dangers of FGM, which will include 13,000 "female leaders" 
from rural areas. 
 
¶3.  (U) First Lady Suzanne Mubarak's public anti-FGM campaign 
has increased political will necessary for the GOE to address 
the issue.  Mrs. Mubarak has long campaigned against the 
practice of genital cutting and recently announced that the 
elimination of FGM in Egypt should be a national priority. 
At a June 26 meeting of the National Council for Childhood 
and Motherhood (NCCM), Mrs. Mubarak announced a slogan for a 
national anti-FGM campaign: "The Beginning of the End."  She 
declared that FGM is a violation of girls' rights and 
advocated for action on religious, educational, and 
legislative levels in Egypt.  On June 29, Mrs. Mubarak 
convened a senior-level meeting with representatives from the 
Ministry of Health and the Doctors' Syndicate to discuss 
combating FGM. 
 
¶4.  (U) As a follow-up to the Mufti's controversial televised 
June 23 fatwa (Ref A), Dar Al Iftaa (the Mufti's formal 
office) issued a July 3 statement asserting that FGM is 
"religiously forbidden" and it is "a harmful social practice 
that is not required by Islam." 
 
¶5.  (U) COMMENT: These developments, following the Mufti's 
unprecedented fatwa, are encouraging steps in Egypt's efforts 
to combat FGM. We will closely track GOE efforts to move 
forward formal legislation banning FGM. 
 
 
 
RICCIARDONE