I was having a bit of toast this morning when I heard an RTÉ report from the Islamic Cultural Centre in Dublin.
The reporter was asking Muslims at the centre about how their Ramadan fast went and what they would be doing to celebrate Eid now that the fasting is over.
Innocent enough you might think, and you’d be right if it wasn’t for who they interviewed next: Spokesperson for the Islamic Cultural Centre, Dr. Ali Selim who in 2018 publicly defended the horrific practice of female genital mutilation.
The comments Selim made can be no secret to RTÉ since he made them on Prime Time: their own show, although it is possible that the reporter who visited the Islamic Cultural Centre for the Eid report was not aware of them.
Female genital mutilation is one of those things that sounds so utterly cruel and primitive that it’s difficult to imagine that it actually happens, but according to Gardaí an estimated 10,000 victims of FGM are in Ireland today.
Gardaí recently engaged in an awareness campaign handing out information on FGM at Dublin Airport presumably because little girls from migrant backgrounds who practice FGM are often flown to other jurisdictions to be mutilated in this way.
The World Health Organisation describes FGM as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.”
It says the practice “has no health benefits for girls and women and causes severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.”
It’s astounding to me that our national broadcaster – although my overall opinion of its integrity is already somewhat in the gutter – would interview a man who defended the torture and mutilation of women and girls.
Selim’s comments from 2018 as reported by the Irish Times after his appearance on Prime Time are as follows:
“I’m not an advocate of female genital mutilation but I am an advocate of female circumcision. We see female circumcision in the same way we see male circumcision. It might be needed for one person and not another, and it has to be done by a doctor and practised in a safe environment,” he said on the program.
“The same medical reason that would justify male circumcision would be the same for females. It is not an obligation, but it should be allowed by law if needed and a medical doctor can decide if it is needed or not,” he said.
“People by nature are different and their organs are different. What one person needs is not necessarily needed by another, and it should be determined by a doctor,” and that “In the Koran it says clearly, ask of the people of knowledge if you do not know, so it means you ask a medical doctor,”.
The World Health Organisation says that over 200,000,000 women and girls alive today have been subjected to this torture mainly in countries in the Middle East and Africa and that it is mostly done to girls between infancy and the age of 15.
The word barbaric does not do enough to describe this practice which the WHO describes as “a violation of the human rights of girls and women.”
There are four categories of female genital mutilation according to the WHO.
Type 1: This is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans (the external and visible part of the clitoris, which is a sensitive part of the female genitals), and/or the prepuce/clitoral hood (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans).
Type 2: This is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva).
Type 3: Also known as infibulation, this is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans.
Type 4: This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g., pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterising the genital area.
My colleague Ben Scallan previously attended a Garda conference where the issue of FGM was discussed. You might be forgiven for thinking that this kind of thing doesn’t happen in Ireland – and it almost certainly didn’t before now – but the times they are a’changing.
Garda Detective Superintendent Ian Lackey discusses Irish authorities' experience of female genital mutilation (FGM) – the practice of injuring a woman or girl's genitals for "non-medical reasons" with "no health benefit."
He says it is "deeply engrained" in many cultures. pic.twitter.com/Dq88Tz5Epb
— gript (@griptmedia) December 8, 2023
Garda Detective Superintendent Ian Lackey said there are an estimated 10,000 victims of female genital mutilation present in Ireland although it is prominently found in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
He said that the Criminal Justice Female Genital Mutilation Act 2012 outlaws the practice which he said was “a child protection and welfare issue”
Disturbingly Lackey said there were “very few prosecutions” for FGM worldwide saying there was one case ongoing in Ireland which he described as “the first ever case”.
Commenting at the time Senator Sharon Keogan described FGM as “horrific” saying she had raised the issue and was “glad finally the garda recognize it’s prevalence here in Ireland as our demographics become more diverse.”
Keogan pointed to a case where the mother and father of a toddler living in Ireland were imprisoned for 5 years and 4 years 9 months respectively under theCriminal Justice Female Genital Mutilation Act 2012.
She criticised the lack of convictions under the law despite the apparent prevalence of the practice in Ireland.
I think it’s reasonable to expect our national broadcaster to be a bit more diligent when it comes to who they interview and I would humbly suggest that a man who has advocated from FGM is not their guy.
If a Catholic priest for example had openly advocated for the sexual abuse of children do you think RTÉ would do a friendly interview with him about Easter? I think not.
It seems that the collective memory of many in establishment Ireland tends to go selectively dark over issues like this.