Thesis (M.A.(Religion))--University of South Australia, 2001. / Title taken from PDF title screen (viewed July 1, 2009).

This thesis reviews the practice of female circumcision in Islamic Africa. I chose this geographical location for my study because of the high incidence of female circumcision in Africa. The majority of female circumcision in Africa is practiced in cultures that follow the religion of Islam. The general consensus of contemporary literature in this field of study argues that female circumcision has no religious basis for the practice. This is based on the fact that the Quran contains no explicit, or implicit, command for the practice. I disagree with this approach and believe my thesis fills a gap that exists in current literature. I argue that there are two main perspectives within Islam which I define as Quranic Islam and traditional Islam. Quranic Islam is defined in this thesis as the Muslim faith that accepts only the Quran as the basis and sole authority for its beliefs and practices. Traditional Islam is defined as the Muslim faith that accepts the Quran, and extra-Quranic sources - such as, but not limited to, the Haddith, Sharia, Sunna, and fatwas - as the basis for its belief structure. I argue that the basis for accepting the practice of female circumcision as a religious rite in Islamic Africa is found in traditional Islam. / thesis (MA(Religion))--University of South Australia, 2001.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 351-365).

Thesis (M.A.)--Acadia University, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-110). Also available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is defined by the World Health Organisation as the deliberate total or partial removal of the external female genitalia, or other deliberate injury to the female genitalia, which is carried out for non-therapeutic purposes. The practice is widely condemned. Even though the adverse effects of the practice have been well documented in many small studies and case reports, FGM is still common in many countries. The effects of this practice are also being felt in many developed countries due to substantial migration in recent years. One of the limiting factors in encouraging eradication is the availability of high quality evidence of the effects of the practice on the process of childbirth. By highlighting the effects of FGM on the process of childbirth, the objective was to encourage policy makers, in co-operation with many relevant organisations, to work together to eradicate the procedure. This original study investigates the effects of FGM on the process of childbirth using a large international epidemiological case control study involving three centres in three different countries. The inclusion criteria were strict and comprised of agreement by the woman and or her husband to participate in the study, for a normal singleton pregnancy at term with a cephalic presentation which resulted in a normal baby, for the women with and without FGM during the period of study. Women who did not fulfil these criteria were excluded. Maternal outcome measures included length of labour, obstruction to the progress of labour, operative delivery, urine retention, perineal complications, intrapartum and postpartum haemorrhage and blood loss during the process of labour. Newborn outcome measures included birth status at delivery, Apgar scores at 5 and 10 minutes, requirement for resuscitation, admission to special care unit and time taken from delivery to the first breast feed. Psychological sequelae were not assessed. The total number of participants in these three centres was 1,970 women; 526 with no FGM (control) and 1444 with different types of FGM. Every effort was taken to keep confidentiality and not to interfere with management of labour during data collection. The results indicate a highly significant difference between the two groups when comparing length of the process of labour, mode of delivery and the need for instrumental deliveries, episiotomies and tears, blood loss during and after delivery, the need for catheterisation following deliveries and duration of hospital stay following birth. Adverse effects were not confined to women and were found to have extended to the new-borns in the two groups again with highly significant difference with regard to birth trauma, requirement for resuscitation and medical attention. The time taken for the first breast contact was different in the two groups with possible effects which may be difficult to establish and require further research. The data provide clear evidence that the practice of FGM is associated with clinical adverse effects, which are not only confined to women but involve the newborn as well. It is hoped that this systematic and comprehensive collection of evidence will make a substantial contribution to the world wide effort to eradicate this harmful practice.

This qualitative research study explores female circumcision within the Canadian community perspective. / Issues examined in the literature review include: the historical background of the practice, its cultural and religious implications, its effects on health, existing social pressures to continue or discontinue the practice and the subjective constructions of majority and minority identities, perspectives and interactions in Canada's multicultural society. / For the purposes of this study majority/minority relations are explored in terms of the interactions between an immigrant community from a FC practicing country and the mainstream community in Canada. The Somali community has been chosen for this case study as the one best known to the author and as one in whose country of origin available statistics indicate a 98% prevalence rate of FC. Canadian mainstream reactions to this practice are analyzed through media reporting and statements from Somalis in Canada describing their interactions with the mainstream community on this issue. / Members of the Somali community in Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario were interviewed in order to cover as wide an area as possible, including difference in provinces. The following six themes were chosen after data analysis: the Effects of FC on Health, the Cultural Orientation of FC, Religious Beliefs Regarding FC, Social Pressures, A Sense of Differentness and Efforts to Discourage the Practice of FC. These themes are discussed with special attention being paid to 'differentness' and the mechanisms or coping skills developed to deal with this complex social phenomenon which involves opposing values, beliefs and perceptions. / In its final section, the study examines the social work implications of the findings which address intercultural fears, anxieties and the dynamics of power involved in the way the FC issue has been addressed in Canada. / Practice, program and policy recommendations with regard to discouraging FC practice are made at the end of the thesis. / The study concludes with the observation that the debate around FC in Canada is much wider than the issue itself and that the practice has been sensationalized in a manner which has emphasized perceptions of differentness which exist in our society. No constructive dialogue will be possible around this issue until the issue of differentness is addressed, and mutual fears and anxieties evoked by the perception of differentness are dealt with in a sensitive manner, in both immigrant and mainstream communities.

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2007. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-170).

Thesis (M.A.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2007. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-170).

No description available.

The practice of female genital mutilation is a global problem and it is prevalent in Africa. According to the United Nations Children's Education Fund (2005), each year about three million women and girls are subjected to female genital mutilation, predominantly in parts of Africa and a few Asian and Middle East countries. The situation is the same in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, where a large number of women and children have undergone and continue to undergo female genital mutilation. According to a UNICEF study, over 32% of Nigeria's female population has endured female genital mutilation and its attendant negative health and human rights consequences (UNICEF 2003: 2).Though Nigeria does not, at present, have a federal law banning female genital mutilation, the process of introducing one has been set in motion by the House of Representatives (lower house), which passed the HB22 Bill in 2007 (Deen 2008:1), which is still awaiting ratification by the Senate (Upper House) and acceptance by the Executive. However, eight out of the thirty-six states in Nigeria have passed laws prohibiting the practice of female genital mutilation (Jimoh 2005). The broad focus of this study was to explore the implementation of social regulatory policy, using the case of the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria. A policy analysis of social regulatory policy was investigated, with secondary studies on the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria. The broad issues investigated in the study include identifying the main aims and objectives of social regulatory policy; the policy instruments employed in the implementation of social regulatory policy; the implementation process of social regulatory policy; and the challenges and successes experienced by implementors in implementing social regulatory policy. The key issues the study sought to investigate include identifying the aims and objectives of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria; the policy instruments employed to implement female genital mutilation legislation; the implementation process of female genital mutilation legislation; and the challenges and successes experienced by implementors in implementing female genital mutilation legislation. The findings of social regulatory policy analysis showed that public participation is critical to the effective implementation of social regulatory policies, as they may encounter implementation difficulties if there is no provision for public participation during policy formulation. This in itself can give the government a better understanding of the socio-cultural issues at stake. These studies also showed that the wrong combination of policy instruments can hinder the effectiveness of social regulatory policy. Out of the varying policy instruments employed for policy implementation, government must choose the right combination of instruments that suits the intended policy outcome, in order to produce different effects. In order for social regulatory policies to be effective, implementers responsible for implementing social regulatory policy need to understand policy goals and be committed to its objectives. Adequate resources, both capital and human, must be invested in employing and training implementing agents. Finally, building and fostering networks and collaboration with civil society are critical to the successful implementation of social regulatory policies. In terms of application to this case study, the present investigation revealed that the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation in Nigeria has been difficult, and crippled with challenges, due to a number of factors that hinder effective policy outcome. These challenges are not unrelated to the fact that democracy is still nascent in Nigeria. First, there was a lack of public participation in the policy formulation process, which had negative consequences for effective implementation. Second, policymakers did not employ suitable policy instruments and this has hindered the implementation of female genital mutilation legislation. Third, a lack of common goal definition between implementing agents and policymakers has led to problems during the implementation of the policy. Other problems which have hindered the effective implementation of the policy include lack of skilled adequate resources, both capital and human, needed for the implementation of the policy. Finally, this study showed that government's failure to involve and collaborate with other actors/stakeholders through building networks with non-governmental organizations negatively affected the policy process. Building networks encourages the exchange of skills and information which can bring about effective policy implementation. The study concludes that these problems are pertinent to social regulatory policies, in general. Public participation in the policy formulation process must be encouraged, through active collaboration with civil society; employing the right policy implementation instruments and building institutional capacity (manpower) and providing adequate funding remain critical to the effective implementation of female genital mutilation legislation, not only in Nigeria, but in other places where such practices are deeply rooted in cultural beliefs. Also, for legislation to be effective, it must comprise the appropriate legal measures (that is, creating proper legal structures and legislation that will constrain and guide the behaviour of targets), regulatory measures (this involves the use of enforcement measures in order to compel the desired behavioural change) and policy measures (which encourages the participation of the targets in the policy process). / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.