17 thoughts on “Religion’s Influence on Female Genital Mutilation

  1. Really informative presentation – I appreciate how well this project presented some really difficult and harsh topics in a digestible way. I had no idea FGM was this prevalent, thank you for sharing.

  2. I thought this investigation was really complete and thorough. The topic in question was highly researched: the history of the practice, the religious history of the continent, the types of practices, and the ways in which religion has been misconstrued to support it. Everything that was discussed was really interesting and illuminating to learn. I think it is important to bring up issues like this one: some practices are justified by religion but are harmful to those who are forced into them. It is important to debunk the myths of religion wanting people to harm themselves to be faithful. I learned a lot from this presentation!

  3. I had no idea that religion was both in favor of and against FGM. I think that really goes to show how you can use religion to justify or condemn just about anything if you spin it the right way. The statistic you shared about how it’s more likely for a girl to undergo FGM if her mother also did was also fascinating to me. This was overall super informative–thank you!

  4. Before your presentation, I didn’t know much at all on the topic of FGM, but now I feel like I have such a better understanding of it – why it happens, how it’s justified and its history. Your research shows and I learned a lot. It shocked me that FGM is REQUIRED for marriage in some cultures – that is absolutely insane. This topic is so difficult to discuss but you did a phenomenal job.

  5. This is a really informative presentation, it put a difficult and dark concept into understandable terms. One element that stood out to me is the role of women in maintaining and promoting FGM practices. It really goes to show that misogyny and patriarchy are so embedded into society that women have a large part in such a harmful practice.

  6. This presentation was filled with information that I didn’t know. I wonder if a woman doesn’t want to go through FGM and it is part of her culture, does it cause problems in the family?

  7. I’m going to be honest with you this presentation shocked me! I knew nothing about FMG, and it felt horrifying that this practice is still being imposed on women despite the health issues it creates. The fact that scholars in Islam view this problem as not being of priority as if men are so scared of female sexuality to the point that they must mutilate our anatomy so that they can feel pleased and safe with themselves. Overall, this was a very interesting piece of work!

  8. It’s crazy to see just how prevalent FGM has been and continues to be, especially with the scientific knowledge we have today to prove how detrimental FGM can be to a woman. The fact that FGM has been and continues to be so prevalent really just shows to me how scared men are of females having freedom in their sexuality because if they have that freedom, then the men are losing a sense of control over them. It is very disappointing and sad to hear about FGM but it is important that there is awareness about the topic. Thank you for sharing your work.

  9. Excellent presentation, you are clearly very informed about this topic. It was very saddening to see how prevalent FGM still is and how there are even different variations, each more harmful than the next. It is hopeful to hear that many religious folks are turning away from this practice and encouraging others to do so without leaving their religion behind. It brings up a lot of questions on religion, culture, bodily autonomy, and the potential friction between them. Thank you for sharing!

  10. I learned that FGM existed my senior year of high school, if that says anything about how much I knew about this topic before your presentation or about how often people speak about it. As you guys mentioned many religions call for the continuation of traditions whether harmful to certain individuals or not, and it is crazy how many cultures have interpreted this information. It is important to speak about the prevalence such harmful practice still has in our world and sharing factual information about it. Thank you for giving us more knowledge in a topic that most of us probably knew nothing about.

  11. You did an absolutely lovely job covering this incredibly difficult material. FGM is a difficult topic to tackle, and you were able to capture the nuances and sensitivity that it requires. You did a great job, and your research into the religious ties was fascinating. It is so important to discuss where women are being actively harmed, and it is a subject that is too frequently equated to male circumcision. Thank you so much for discussing both the physical implications as well as the spiritual “justifications” that have been misused.

  12. This was super interesting. Genital mutilation still exists in some parts of the world for the same reason it existed in the past, so to learn about the history of this issue is suoper interesting to see.

  13. Thank you for shedding light on such an important and difficult topic. This topic reminds me of a lot of “The Husband Stitch”, which is when someone would just finish giving birth and the the husband would either ask or the Doctors offer to add an extra stitch when fixing the vuvla just for more tightness so when the couple has intercourse again, it would feel like the before childbirth. One of the things I sorta of fixated on, was the fact that there are absolutely no health benefits when it comes to FGM. It really does strike a cord and makes me think about the people had that to endure this and continue living with it. Though you might not know, do you think there are organizations that try to prevent or further educate on the negative effects of this practice?

  14. I thought that your project was extremely informative and I learned a lot about the different types of FGM. I have heard about FGM before but never knew the history and origin of the practice so I found that aspect of your project interesting as well.

  15. This presentation did a good job of highlighting a very hard topic to talk about honestly and comfortably for people to be informed. I did not know a lot about the topic before and y’all did a good job of explaining both the history and current cultural values and norms.

  16. I didn’t know too much about FGM before this presentation so this was really interesting (and sad) to learn about its background and why it is still so prevalent today. Great job organizing all of this information!

  17. This presentation was so well organized! This brought a lot of information to my attention as I didn’t consider that FGM could still be happening in the world (as it is very unethical IMO).

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