FGM-Egypt
Research project:
Islamic legal discussions of medico-ethical issues: The example of female circumcision in Egypt in the 20th century (Fritz Thyssen Foundation)
Duration: 2015 - 2018
Project member: Elisabeth Trepesch
Publications:
Elisabeth Trepesch, „Die Debatte über weibliche Genitalverstümmelung in ägyptischen Fatwas des 20. Jahrhunderts“, Zeitschrift für Recht & Islam, 2016 (8), 159-180.
Elisabeth Trepesch, Weibliche Genitalbeschneidung in Ägypten. Debatten zwischen Islam und Medizin 1940-2010. Baden Baden 2021.
About the book: Egypt is one of the regions with the highest prevalence of female genital cutting (FGC): 87% of women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to FGC. So-called female circumcision has continuously been legitimised with both religious andhealth reasons. At the same time, medical practitioners, religious scholars and other intellectuals already challenged FGC in the early 20th century, using both medical and Islamic legal arguments. Based on this observation, this interdisciplinary study explores the changes in normative ideas about FGC between 1940 and 2010. It thus reshapes our understanding of when, how and through what positions on FGC are subject to change.
Thomas Eich, „Zur Geschichte zweier ḥadīṯe, die häufig in der Diskussion über FGM zitiert werden“, Zeitschrift für Recht & Islam, 2019 (11), 79-104, Zur Geschichte zweier ḥadīṯe, die häufig in der Diskussion über FGM zitiert werden“, Zeitschrift für Recht & Islam, 2019 (11), 79-104.
This article analyses two hadiths that are often cited in contemporary debates about female genital mutilation. It shows how they can be traced back to specific regions and time periods and how the variants of the two hadiths evolved over time. Overall, the source material shows that the practice had become the subject of criticism in the 2nd and 3rd centuries Hijra.