“Circumcision initiates women into womanhood and makes them eligible for
marriage … the only positive position available for Islamic women,” writes
Esther Hicks in her analysis of female circumcision Infibulation: Female
Mutilation in Islamic North-eastern Africa (Transaction Publishers,
£30.95/$34.95 hbk, £13.95/$21.95 pbk, ISBN 1 56000 841
5). She sees infibulation as a cultural trait that cannot easily be banished by
worthy Westerners in a single social issue swoop. A historical rationalist
perspective admirably applied to, but barely covering the legs of, an emotive
and horrifying debate.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Life
Himalayan wolf-dog hybrids emerge as a threat to wolves and people
News
Environment
First test of CO2 removal with green sand finds no harm to marine life
News
Space
SpaceX is about to launch tallest and most powerful rocket in history
News
Environment
Cleaning up air pollution could weaken vital AMOC ocean current
News
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Why autism pioneer Uta Frith wants to dismantle the spectrum
2
A new tectonic plate boundary could be forming in southern Africa
3
CAR T-cell therapy bolstered by stiffening up cancer cells first
4
Himalayan wolf-dog hybrids emerge as a threat to wolves and people
5
Where did the laws of physics come from? I think I've found the answer
6
Rebooting stem cells builds aged muscles and assists injury recovery
7
Neanderthals treated a dental cavity by drilling into the tooth
8
What if the idea of the autism spectrum is completely wrong?
9
Asteroid set to fly very close to Earth
10
First test of CO2 removal with green sand finds no harm to marine life
