By Buba Gagigo
The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council (GSIC) has issued a fatwa calling for the repeal of the law against Female Genital Mutilation/Circumcision (FGM/C) and urging the Government of The Gambia to reconsider its stance on the law criminalizing female circumcision in the country.
Representing the SIC, Omar Secka, the First Vice President, highlighted the religious perspective on female circumcision, emphasizing its endorsement in Islamic doctrine. He underscored that female circumcision is not merely a cultural tradition but holds religious significance as a practice endorsed by the Prophet Muhammad.
“The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council (GSIC) is pleased to issue a fatwa to all Muslims in The Gambia regarding the legality of female circumcision. In this regard, the GSIC would like to clarify that female circumcision is not a merely inherited custom, as falsely claimed by those who are clueless about Islamic law. Rather, it is one of the virtues of Islam and among the Sunnah practices dictated by the Messenger of Allah, Peace be Upon Him, who said, “Five practices are characteristics of the Fitra,” of which he mentioned circumcision.,” SIC first vice president Omar Secka said on behalf of the SIC president.
The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council asserts that female circumcision’s legitimacy is supported by several established Hadiths attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
“Therefore, Muslim jurists agreed on its legality. Some jurists have even argued that female circumcision is obligatory, whereas others have considered it a recommended act of Sunnah. It was not reported by any of the reliable Muslim scholars denying the legality of female circumcision in the manner prescribed by the Messenger of Allah: peace be upon him. That is because the noble Sharia never recognizes anything that causes harm to people, be it health or physical,” Mr Secka said.
The GSIC also points out that the legal form of female circumcision involves cutting off only a tiny upper part of the clitoris without removing it or touching any part of the labia, which runs contrary to what is known as (FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION) and does not entail the removal of the genital organ, or what is known as Pharaonic circumcision.
“Muslim Jurists have agreed that this type is illegal because of the harm it inflicts on women. In this context, the GSIC calls on the Government of The Gambia to reconsider the law criminalizing female circumcision and to hold anyone who practices such accountable because, as Muslims, religion is the most precious thing we have in this life. The GSIC would also like to clarify that Allah has decreed female circumcision, and it, therefore, condemns quarters and individuals who denounce the practice and calls on the authorities to hold them accountable,” he concluded.