Knowledge and perspectives of female genital cutting among the local religious leaders in Erbil governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan region

Abstract

BackgroundReligious leaders are one of the key actors in the issue of female genital cutting (FGC) due to the influential position they have in the community and the frequent association of FGC with the religion. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perspectives of the local religious leaders in Erbil governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan Region about different aspects of FGC.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted with a sample of 29 local religious leaders. A semi-structured questionnaire was used that included questions about their knowledge, understanding, and perspectives on different aspects of FGC such as the reasons for practicing it, their contact and communication with the community regarding the practice and perspectives about banning the practice by law.ResultsParticipants believed that FGC is useful for reducing or regulating the sexual desire of women to prevent adultery and engagement in pre and extramarital sexual relations and to enhance hygiene of women. They indicated that there is no any risk in doing FGC if there is no excessive cut. Most participants indicated that FGC is attributed to the religion and some considered it a tradition mixed with the religion. People rarely ask the advice of the religious leaders regarding FGC, but they frequently complain about the effects of the practice. Participants did not support having a law to ban FGC either because they thought it would be against the religion’s advice on FGC or it will not work.ConclusionsThe local religious leaders lack adequate knowledge about different aspects of FGC particularly the health consequences. There are different and disputing viewpoints about the reasons for practicing FGC, and there is poor support for having a law banning the practice. There is an essential need for enhancing the knowledge of the local religious leaders regarding FGC and its adverse effects on the women’s health.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12978-018-0459-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A qualitative assessment of women’s perspectives and experience of female genital mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan Region

“…The study participants did not have any clear idea of what part and how much of the female genitalia is cut during FGM. Previous research has shown that type I FGM or clitoridectomy is the most common type practiced in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (76–99%) [8, 9, 19]. Lack of women’s knowledge about the types of FGM had been reported in other countries such as Sudan, Nigeria, and Egypt [20].…”

“…In the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, the religious requirement remains an important reason for subjecting girls and women to FGM [8, 9]. A number of well-known scholars in the region have condemned FGM in public and denied any connection between Islam and FGM, while others remained silent or even encouraged the practice [19, 24]. It is essential to examine the viewpoints of religious leaders in the region to determine the reasons for having different positions about FGM and find out whether their specific positions are related to purely religious or other cultural factors [15].…”

“…Some study participants asked for having clear scientific and Sharia evidence about FGM before prohibiting it. Another study from the Iraqi Kurdistan Region recognized the importance of providing a clear message to the religious leaders in the region with clear evidence about FGM to convey it to the people [19]. Such a message should be provided by local scholars and the concerned authorities including the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs.…”

Sexually destroyed or empowered? Silencing female genital cutting in close relationships

“…Since the first international report of the occurrence of FGC in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2004, an expanding body of research has addressed the practice among Iranian and Iraqi Kurds focusing on prevalence rates, types of FGC, health consequences, and the cultural underpinnings of the practice (e.g. Ahmed et al 2018;Daneshkhah et al 2017;Khalesi, Beiranvand, and Ebtekar 2017). However, apart from the present study, there have been no in-depth studies of FGC among Kurds in diaspora or in Norway specifically.…”

Negotiating Female Genital Cutting as a Difficult Characteristic in Kurdish National Identity

“…Beyond knowledge on prevalence rates, types of FGC, its health consequences, and some of the cultural underpinnings of the practice, current research on FGC in Kurdistan is scarce (Ahmady 2015;Ahmed et al 2018;Daneshkhah et al 2017;Dehghankhalili et al 2015;Khalesi, Beiranvand & Ebtekar 2017;Saleem et al 2013;WADI 2010). Furthermore, there have been no in-depth studies of FGC among Kurds in diaspora or in Norway specifically (Bråten & Elgvin 2014: 151;Geraci & Mulders 2017;Koukkula et al 2016: 2-6).…”