[satthackacibe]

SULAIMANIYA, Iraq -- Human Rights Watch urged Kurdistan's government on Wednesday to ban genital cutting of women and girls, a practice the organization said is widespread and dangerous there, but which they said Kurdish officials had failed to move aggressively to stop.

Human Rights Watch, an advocacy organization based in New York, interviewed 31 girls and women last year and combined its findings with recent surveys by other organizations that found that at least 40 percent of girls and women in Iraq's Kurdistan region had undergone the procedure, which typically involves cutting off external genitalia with a dirty razor blade.

One of the studies, of about 1,400 girls and women interviewed during 2007 and 2008, found that almost 73 percent of women 14 years and older said that at least a portion of their genitals had been removed.

The report criticized Kurdish lawmakers for failing to approve legislation to ban the practice, saying attempts in the past had fallen short because Kurdistan had not made the issue a priority.

"Although it has not been completely inactive, its efforts have been piecemeal, low key and poorly sustained," the report said of the Kurdish government.

During its interviews with Kurdish officials, Human Rights Watch said the government had played down the frequency of the practice, in part because of concerns about the damage the study might have on the international reputation of Kurdistan, which is generally regarded as being more Western and less socially conservative than much of the Middle East.

Human Rights Watch "was told that the rates of female genital mutilation were not significant and that organizations working to combat this practice had other 'interests,' such as tarnishing the reputation of Kurdistan," the report said.

The Kurdish government does not collect its own data on genital cutting.

Mariwan Naqshbandi, a spokesman for Kurdistan's Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, dismissed the study, saying that it had distorted reality and that Kurdistan had "issues far more important" to confront.

"The report is extremely exaggerated," he said. "It is so unfair. It relied solely on some local reports. It relied on rumors."

He added: "Circumcision exists as an isolated occurrence, rather than as a phenomenon in Kurdistan. It only exists in certain places."

Human Rights Watch said Kurdish girls and women described genital cutting as being physically painful and psychologically scarring.

"Girls undergoing the procedure are forcefully held down, their legs pried apart, and part of their genitalia cut off with a razor blade," the report said. "Often the same blade is used to cut several girls. No anesthesia is applied beforehand and if anything at all is applied to the open wound afterwards, it is water, herbs, cooking oil or ashes."

In addition to wounds caused to women, risks include an increase in the rate of stillbirths and in the occurrence of babies with low birth weight, the report said.

It is not clear how common genital cutting is in the rest of Iraq, because it has not been the subject of a comprehensive study.

By Namo Abdulla And Timothy Williams
New York Times

Is female circumcision regular among Muslim populations of the Middle East? As far as I was concerned this only occured in Africa and among Arabs of Aabia, has it spread to to also include Kurds, Turks etc?

[DenisMoor]

what a disgusting backwards tradition

[Carfanate]

This just makes my stomach turn. Why are they circumcising girls so young?

[grudabor]

WTF....

thankfully, this is unheard of in Iran

[glazgoR@]

Savage. Misogynist culture.

"Girls undergoing the procedure are forcefully held down, their legs pried apart, and part of their genitalia cut off with a razor blade," the report said. "Often the same blade is used to cut several girls. No anesthesia is applied beforehand and if anything at all is applied to the open wound afterwards, it is water, herbs, cooking oil or ashes." What is the cultural ethnic significance of female circumcision other than to scar the female psychologically for life?

[JonDopl]

To be honest I had no idea this was even prevailent among Kurdish populations of the Middle East. It is a crime against humanity to peform such acts and they should be sentenced to prison.

[joOEMcheapSOFTWARE]

This just makes my stomach turn. Why are they circumcising girls so young?

Windie, WTF's age got to do with it? It shouldn't be happening at all. Do you think it's ok when they're older?

[XarokLasa]

WTF....

thankfully, this is unheard of in Iran

Well Kurds are Iranians right?

[Caunnysup]

Well Kurds are Iranians right?

They are an Iranian ethnicity, but I think he was refering to Persians.

[stadiaKab]

That is disgusting and terrible :S

[j2Y6Ysmb]

Never heard of it, I doubt it is as widespread as they want it to appear.

[cauddyVab]

To be honest I had no idea this was even prevailent among Kurdish populations of the Middle East. It is a crime against humanity to peform such acts and they should be sentenced to prison.

That's putting it mildly.

I think you should get a life sentence if it's able to be proven that you've engaged in this practice repeatedly. The problem, of course, is that genital mutilation only occurs in chauvinistic, paternal societies where the authorities don't really mind.

[vansVoish]

what part of the genital is actually being removed?

[Aeaefee]

what part of the genital is actually being removed?

This should tell you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_cutting

[NudiJuicervich]

So much for people still continuing tradition maybe it's time for some leveling.

[w4WBthjv]

If it's so gross to you guys, then posting immature remarks don't do anything at all. Circumcision has been in the muslim culture for centuries and you know, I may not be circumcised at all but I don't say yuck or stupid about one's culture.

[soprofaxelbis]

If it's so gross to you guys, then posting immature remarks don't do anything at all. Circumcision has been in the muslim culture for centuries and you know, I may not be circumcised at all but I don't say yuck or stupid about one's culture.

All cultures are not equal, some are clearly inferior to others, those that mutilate their children's genitalia are some of the lowest and certainly can never be described as civilised.

[accotMask17]

People who do this to women should be executed.

[PRengin]

If it's so gross to you guys, then posting immature remarks don't do anything at all. Circumcision has been in the muslim culture for centuries and you know, I may not be circumcised at all but I don't say yuck or stupid about one's culture.

It has nothing to do with Muslim culture. I think you're kind of insulting some Muslims with that statement.

Anyway, it's a disgusting practice. It doesn't make it any better whether it has happened for hundreds of years or not. It only shows a pathetic and static society that allow such practices to happen for centuries.
I mean, the Aztecs cut out heart of thousands of people, I guess it was ok, since it was their "culture". It was also quite ok that the Crusaders attacked Turkey and beyond, even though it was a big fuck up, because it was just an expression of their Christian "culture". And what about headhunting cannibalism? I guess it's ok, it's just their "culture". I guess you should thank them for preserving their culture while they cook you.

I guess Culture is the new "religion" - in the sense that it may be used to excuse any kind of atrocious actions by proclaiming that "it's just their culture".

[TRASIAOREXOLA]

All cultures are not equal, some are clearly inferior to others, those that mutilate their children's genitalia are some of the lowest and certainly can never be described as civilised.

I still consider Israel and the US as civilized countries. In both these countries, male circumcision is customary.