| What on earth is happening in Dar al Islam? Is real change afoot? |
[Maghrebia] Mauritanian Islamic leaders, the association of ulema and government officials gathered in Nouakchott on Monday for a forum aimed at issuing a fatwa against the widespread practice of female circumcision, ANI reported on Tuesday (January 12th). The practice often leads to death, according to Cheikh Ould Zein Ould Limam of the Forum of Islamic Thought. "Female circumcision is a practice harmful to the health of women in our country," Social Affairs Ministry Secretary-General Mohamed Ould Ely Telmoudi said, adding that "sustainable development and poverty reduction are dependent on the equal participation of women in public life and development efforts".
The percentage of recorded cases in Mauritania has reportedly reached 72%. A proposed national action plan to eradicate female circumcision would initially focus on those wilayas most affected by the practice: Brakna, Gorgol and Assaba Hodh El Charghi.
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