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	Female Genital Mutilation: A Mothering Exclusive Report

Activist Interview:
Hadil El-Khouly

How did you first come to a point where you realized that you wanted to work to end FGM? Was it gradual or immediate? At what age did you first learn about FGM?

Since I was born and raised in Germany, I never heard about FGM until my parents and I returned to live in Egypt in 1992. I was 8 at that time. I then first started to hear about FGM when my parents and I traveled to the south of Egypt to visit my grandmother and my extended family. There, I sometimes overheard conversations on the debate around FGM in newspapers and TV. I did not understand much at that age, but I sensed the controversy of the issue, especially when I once heard them discussing the story of a father who published pictures in a magazine of his young daughter taken while she was being genitally mutilated. The story, I remembered, caused great uproar not because the young girl was being cut, but because her picture was in a magazine. A taboo was broken!

When I was about 14, I got a clearer idea about FGM from newspaper articles and TV, which mentioned the issue, but rather superficially, and with great care. Arguments were limited to "It is wrong, and it is required for males but it is not necessary for girls and women," but a clearer idea of what harm it actually causes for women was rarely addressed. The religious, psychological, social and health aspects were still ambiguous to the public.

My first real confrontation with FGM was during one of my visits to my grandmother in Upper Egypt. A friend of our family was taking her daughters to the hospital to circumcise them. What I noticed strongly at that time was that the girls, who were also 14 back then, had absolutely no say in that. It was the mother who made the decision. Nobody in my family really opposed it, or tried to convince her not to circumcise them. When the mother left with her daughters, I kept saying, “Why is she doing this? It is necessary for boys but not girls.” The only answer I got was silence. I was ignored probably because of my young age. I was left with confusion and anger.

When I was in the 10th grade, in school, our history teacher decided to give us an extra-curricular course on FGM. I was in a German school and our history teacher was German, too. He brought the material from German newspaper articles and books. The Egyptian curriculum is silent on FGM: it includes a reproductive health section which is supposed to be taught in high school, but it is mostly ignored by teachers, especially in public schools. I remember a friend from a public school telling me their teacher told them to staple this section from the biology book closed and move on to the next lesson.

In history class, we read real stories of women who were genitally mutilated with sharp glass, died from infection, women whose wounds had sand thrown at them to stop the bleeding. We learned about what the arguments were from both sides. We read the story Desert Rose, which is about a woman from Africa called Warris Dirie, who was circumcised. She then traveled to the US, became a famous model and is now actively working against FGM. She inspired me. And through this history class I felt that I wanted to do more than just talk and then be ignored. I wanted to do more than just hear these sad stories and shake my head. It all started gradually from this point.

Do you have anti-FGM or pro-women mentors?

My inspiration to work against FGM is Warris Dirie. My other mentor was my director Azza Soliman (of the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance); she helped me to turn my ideas and hopes into real projects and activities.

You are relatively young to be so involved. We admire you so much! Do you feel more serious than your peers?

It is not common in Egypt to start working right after high school and parallel to university, especially in a field like development and women's human rights. When I first entered university, the people I met there were quite surprised when I told them I was working, and their surprise grew when I mentioned my work in an NGO for women's rights. The first comment was then: “Women's rights? What more rights do you need?”

In the beginning, I thought that this was just a misconception of a few people, and I used to take the time to explain to them what issues we forward as women's rights groups. But with time I noticed that this was the attitude of almost everyone, boys and girls at university, unlike my German high school.

What I noticed the most is when I start a conversation with a male colleague and manage to convince him and to explain to him what discrimination Egyptian women face, he might agree with me, but the moment I open the subject in front of a number of other males and point out that this colleague agreed with me, he immediately comes up with "Yes, I agreed, but..." or, “That’s not exactly what I said,” which is mainly due to peer pressure, especially among men. When a man admits that women lack a lot of rights, his manhood is questioned.

It is sometimes also difficult because as a young women's rights activist you would have to shake off the image of a radical feminist who hates men and wants women to take over the world, the image most people in Egypt have of feminists. As to my foreign friends, a lot of times I have to prove that Islam is not against women's rights, that it is not a contradiction to be a women's rights activist, to believe in Islam and to wear a veil. Throughout history, religion was always used to justify women's subordination and men's dominance; it is a problem of interpretation and old traditions, not a specific religion.

At that point, I realized that I was almost everything people discriminate against, whether in Egypt or abroad. I am a woman, an Arab, a Muslim and a women’s rights activist. So all my life I’ve been defending myself, but never apologizing or excusing myself for what I am.

But neither my work nor my attitude ever isolated me from my friends. I do not feel more serious than my peers, since when I am with my friends I act like a myself, a 20-year-old girl, I enjoy my life as a young woman, I go out with my friends a lot.

Do you feel like you are fighting an uphill battle, or is the Egyptian culture ripe for change?

When I compare today to the time when I visited Egypt as a child, I realize that, in reference to FGM, it has become much easier to talk about FGM, especially in the media. Today there are a number of talk shows that discuss FGM. A great number of NGO's put the issue on their agenda, alongside the efforts of the National Council for Women to combat FGM. I believe all these are strong indicators that a change is foreseeable. Even though the percentage of women who have undergone FGM is high, public awareness on FGM is also increasing.

Do you feel like you are a typical Egyptian woman, or rare? In other words, do you think most women just need to tap into their power in order to be as active as you are for women's rights, or some just aren't cut out for it?

No, I don’t think I am a typical Egyptian woman. I think this is mainly due to the way I was raised up, and the education I received. My parents are the reason why I am as revolutionary and active as I am today. Unlike many Egyptian families, they taught me how important it is to have my own opinion and never fear to express it. On the other hand, they also taught me how important it is to respect other’s point of view, but also how healthy constructive criticism can be. From my parents I also learned that a civilized nation is not measured by its number of industries and factories but by the way humans are respected, women, children and the elderly.

My parents always taught me how important it is to care about the well-being of others and that one should always play a role in changing one’s society before complaining about the social, economical and political situation there, and that this change should always start with oneself. Most of all, my parents sacrificed a lot to give me the best education. The foreign education I received did not only strengthen and emphasize what my parents taught me, but also encouraged it. I became more revolutionary than I was, and when I was in the 7th grade I was already involved in many charity activities.

I do not believe that some women are born to be female activists and some are not capable of it. In order to become a female activist, young women need a healthy environment and education that show them that they have a right to gain knowledge, to object, to demand and that they have the power to make change happen. I believe that women’s empowerment is like a big heavy door, once someone manages to open it a little bit for a ray of light to come in, women will push further and further. Just because we have been told that we are emotional creatures, does not mean we are unable to make our own decisions, and that this ability is independent of men.

What percentage of Egyptian women have undergone FGM?

The estimated percentage of women who have undergone FGM is 90%-95%.

What do you think are incentives to help girls resist FGM?

Women need to know that we do not need to cut off parts of our body to be complete women, to be virtuous. We are complete as God’s creation. Our beauty lies in our minds and souls.

Do they have safe places to go if they need to run away?

As of today, there is no safe shelter in Egypt for girls.

How does your family feel about what you are doing?

My family encourages me very much in my work. A lot of parents in Egypt would probably not allow their children to work parallel to university so that they can concentrate on university, but my parents are very supportive in this aspect.

What problems do you encounter?

Concerning FGM, a large problem is the fact that people link FGM with Islam. They believe that FGM was encouraged by the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and therefore, it is important to respond to this belief through showing for example that prophet Mohammed did not even circumcise his daughters.

Yet, unfortunately, we do not have the support of the Islamic institution, although some Islamic scholars stress that FGM is not demanded in Islam.

What successes show you that you are making progress?

I believe that in Egypt in general, it has become much easier to talk about FGM. The media, especially, has become more responsive. The National Council for Women is also adopting programs and activities to resist FGM.

What do you do to stay encouraged and not give up?

I acknowledge that change in society takes time, and that the generations before us have worked hard to make change possible for us. So, I see what change they have achieved for us, and I am determined to make change possible for future generations.