Religious Figure Sparks Controversy In Russia After Endorsing Female Genital Mutilation

[TomSea]

Religious Figure Sparks Controversy In Russia After Endorsing Female Genital Mutilation

A senior Islamic spiritual leader in Russia has sparked controversy after endorsing female genital mutilation, or FGM, in the mainly Muslim-populated North Caucasus region of Daghestan.The mufti of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, Ismail Berdiyev, said all women should be circumcised "to end depravity." Human rights groups condemned the statement and Russian lawmakers want to ban FGM. But putting an end to the practice in Daghestan could be a challenge. (RFE/RL'S Current Time TV)

Read More At: http://www.rferl.mobi/a/mufti-sprks-controversy-by-endorsing-fgm/27952389.html

Russia furore over FGM in mainly Muslim Dagestan

A report on female genital mutilation (FGM) in the North Caucasus has sparked a fierce debate in Russia, with some clerics defending the practice.

A civil society group found FGM to be common among Muslims in mountain villages in Dagestan. Girls' genitals were cut in primitive homes.

Regional Muslim leader Ismail Berdiyev suggested all women should undergo FGM but later withdrew the remark.

But a senior Orthodox Christian priest, Vsevolod Chaplin, had backed him.

In a Facebook post (in Russian), Archpriest Chaplin expressed "my sympathies for the mufti, and I hope he doesn't retreat from his position because of the howls and hysterics which will start now".

Read More At: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37115746