By Amadou Jadama
Outspoken Muslim scholar and imam, Abdullah Fatty, has defended the much criticised and outlawed female genital multination, saying Muslims should continue to practise it.
Addressing worshippers during a Friday sermon at his Sukuta -Sutubato mosque, the former State House imam asserted that people who are campaigning against FGM have in most cases gone through it but have now been paid money to talk against it.
“All what they are saying on television against FGM is an insult both to the Islamic religion and humanity.
They should be very much careful because we are not going to tolerate that from anybody. Let them know that we don’t get our religion from the president, ministers, National Assembly members, chiefs or governors. We got our religion only from the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith, that is the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad,” he said. Imam Fatty warned that anyone associating him or herself with the government so that they can pass a law that can ban Muslims to practice FGM, is deceiving him or herself, and “we are ready for anything. We must circumcise our daughters whether you like it or not. If you don’t want to practise it, leave it and shut your mouth, we don’t force anybody to do it. But you should not also criticise others who are willing to practise it.”
The Saudi-trained imam said FGM is about cleanliness, a practice approved by Islam and the Prophets. He challenged the anti-FGM campaigners to come out with any Hadiths which quoted the prophet saying people should not practice it. “If they can show us that, then we will stop it,” he added.
Fatty said the late Gambian gynecologist, Dr Jack Faal had said those who went through FGM deliver babies much more easily than those who have not gone through it, saying therefore all what the campaigners are claiming are baseless.
“Enough is enough. We are going to practise our religion as commanded by Prophet Muhammad,” Imam Fatty stated.
He concluded that Muslims should know that FGM had existed during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and scholars have approved that it is the Sunnah of the Prophets before him. “So if you don’t know something, you should ask but don’t say that FGM is not Islamic,” he said.
