BEWARE! My Daughter was almost Circumcised! Here in America!

It was 12/31/1997 and my grandmother passed away. I was her best friend and constant companion for well over 17 years. When she passed away I was devastated. I ran right into the arms of my first and only boyfriend. I was 31 and never dated. To me, family responsibility, career, and education was my only focus. My ex-husband called me an antique and my current husband says I lived in a cave. However, I am what I am!

Anyway, I met this man who was from Egypt. He was Islamic, divorced, and 6 years my junior. However, he was polite, respectful, and did not ask for my virginity before marriage. So, I married him in 1998! But, I had no idea that his mother was circumcised nor his views on the subject. Hey, I was a 3rd generation Polish/American woman from Jersey! What the world did I know about female genital mutilation? To me, it boggled my mind when I found out that I was 4 months pregnant with my eldest daughter and he tells me he wants her to be circumcised! I nearly killed him! I hated his guts from that day forward. Then, when I discovered he was also beginning to cheat on me, I ran as fast as I could to the airport. I proceeded to purchase a one way ticket to Georgia and have never looked back since!

I left everything behind! Seventeen years of possessions gone in the blink of an eye! I did not care! I ran to Georgia with my 6 month old in hand, determined to rebuild it all! I told myself, If you built it once, you can do it again! There was no way anyone would even try to mutilate my baby girl! Over my dead body!

Later, after I moved to Georgia, I found out that he was making babies all over the place, and had decided to abandon us! I think the count is around 8 or 10 children that he has created and left behind. However, my daughter remains his only legitimate child in the USA. His method of madness is to have women here in the USA and a Islamic wife back home in Egypt. The poor woman has no idea of his infidelity. Mind you, I am not saying that all Egyptian men or foreign born men are female genital mutilating, conniving, and two timing Casanova's. However, I am writing this hub to warn you about marring outside of your culture and problems that will arise from such a union.

Before you tie the knot with a foreign born man, remember to make sure that you understand the culture from which he comes from and the customs of his culture. I am writing this hub to warn you what could happen, what happened to me, and (God Forbid) what could happen to you!

is a social custom, not a religious practice as it is in other countries of Northern Africa. It is usually performed on pre-pubescent girls, often without anesthetic or precautions against infection. In those countries where the mutilation is common, it is practiced by Muslims, Christians, and followers of other religious groups. However, there is hope for women yet in these countries.

In July 2007, FGM was outlawed completely in Egypt. A ban was introduced nearly 10 years ago but the practice continued to be allowed in exceptional circumstances. However, now no member of the medical profession will be allowed to perform the operation in public or private establishments. Thank God!

"As recently as 1979, the "Love Surgery" was performed on women in the United States. Dr. James E. Burt, the so-called Love Surgeon, introduced "clitoral relocation" (i.e. sunna circumcision) to the medical establishment. He believed and acted upon the idea that excision does not prevent sexual pleasure but enhances it. Dr. Burt practiced in Ohio for almost ten years before he was exposed after which he gave up his license.

Because of the large number of cases of FGC and some of the deaths it has caused, FGC is now outlawed in some European countries (Britain, France, Sweden, and Switzerland) and some African countries (Egypt, Kenya, Senegal)."

I had no Idea that the state of Georgia did not have any laws against female genital mutilation, on the books, until the Georgia trial of an Atlanta-area father accused of circumcising his 2-year-old daughter with scissors in 2001, which is believed to be first in the U.S. over genital cutting. However, while Georgia recently passed an anti-mutilation law -- pushed through with the help of the girl's mother -- that law wasn't on the books when the mutilation occurred. Moreover, Federal law specifically bans the practice, but many states do not have a specific law addressing it.  

Egypts top religious authorities also expressed unequivocal support for the ban.

The Grand Mufti and the head of the Coptic Church said female circumcision had no basis either in the Koran or in the Bible.

She is a well adjusted 10 year old girl. She is smart, beautiful, and no worse for wear. I raised her by myself for 6 years until I met and married a wonderful man in 2006. He is the only father that my daughter has ever known. There was an adjustment period because she never had a father figure in her life before. However, Danni and my husband Ricky have come to terms of endearment and are adjusting to each other quite nicely. A blended family is always a challenge at the start. However, after 4 years together the only challenges we face are the typical hormonal changes of a tween! Thank God!

As for the biological father? He was finally forced to pay child support in Feb 2008. However, as of November 2009, he has disappeared! Thus, he is in arrears to the tune of $3,600.00 and still counting. Child Support Recovery will find him one way or the other! I look at it this way, I did fine without his help for 8 years of her life and I can do without it now! 

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Article(C)2009 - 2010 cluense, all rights reserved. Cluense creates articles and posts online. She creates articles on, accounting, entrepreneur, political issues, small business, society, relationships, taxes, work from home businesses, and Tutorials. She also has a strong passion for writing