Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Female Genital Mutilation: Islamic Roots Or Culture Conflated?, Mazin E. Khalil

Senior Theses and Projects

Despite the fact that circumcision can be traced to various pre-Islamic societies, female genital mutilation is commonly associated with Islam. This thesis investigates female genital mutilation in Sudan. In the first part, I investigate the reasons for female genital mutilation in Sudan and the reasons for its continued occurrence. In the second part, I analyze the narrative of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and her personal account as it relates to female genital mutilation. Finally in the third part, I examine the role that the discourse of female genital mutilation has in Islamophobic rhetoric.