By Amadou Jadama
The Minister of Women, Children and Social Welfare Affair has stated that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) cannot be a religious rite because it is older than any religious practice or belief.
Fatou Kinteh Sanyang made the statement yesterday at a press conference in Banjul in commemoration of international day of zero tolerance of FGM.
She said FGM, which has a deep link to the cultural values of many traditions in the country can only be termed as a traditional practice but not any form of religious belief.
“Sometimes there is misconception that FGM is a religious practice but what we know is that FGM is older than both Christianity and Islam. FGM is never a religious belief because all of us know there are Muslims in the Gambia who do not practice FGM and not only in the country but other parts of Africa,” she said.
