Women must undergo female genital mutilation to curb male 'sexual weakness', Egyptian MP says
Nine out of 10 Egyptian women between the ages 15 to 49 have undergone FGM
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
An Egyptian MP has said women must undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) to help curb male "sexual weakness".
Elhamy Agina also claimed FGM would help reduce women's "sexual appetites" despite the procedure being illegal since 2008.
Mr Agina said stopping the procedure could only be an option if Eypt had "strong men" able to control their own libidos, Parlamy reports.
He added: "We are a population whose men suffer from sexual weakness, which is evident because Egypt is among the biggest consumers of sexual stimulants that only the weak will consume.
"If we stop [female genital mutilation], we will need strong men and we don’t have men of that sort."
Nine out of 10 Egyptian women between the ages 15 to 49 have undergone FGM, according to the 2015 Egyptians Health Issues Survey.
FGM entails the removal of some or all female external genitalia normally on a pre-pubescent girl using a razor, sometimes without anaesthetic.
There is no medical justification for FGM, indeed it can lead to long-term problems with sex, childbirth and mental health.
While banned in many countries including the UK, it has long been a common practice across Africa.
Between January and March, the NHS recorded 1,242 new cases of FGM including 11 girls born in the UK.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments