>>1644
Sorry for the delay.

>And you did nothing to prove your point.
There is no need to proof an opinion. Apart from this, I mentioned my reasons in >>1635.

>my idea is [...]
I'm not sure I get this. Do you mean that in "their" culture it is valid and acceptable and "we" are not entitled to criticize it? I would agree with this, especially as this would be a sign of respect, which in turn raises credibility.

>you can read the article provided by sage above where it is all well described.
I did - and I think there are a number of interesting aspects, of which I find three particularly remarkable. (weblink in sage's post >>1538)

--[b] Most important is knowlegde. Most people who perform Female Genital Cutting (FGC) not only don't know the origins of it, they also are very often overall less educated. While participating in a credible nondirective basic education program they can additional be provided with the information that an unmutilated alternative is possible and already exists in other communities. This is suitable to initiate a reconsideration.

[b]--[b] In order to start an abandonment of FGC a critical mass of participants is needed. A single family is not enough. Even if they oppose the mutilation, they may stick to it under the pressure of marriageability. If there is a certain number of uncut families - not necessarily the majority - their children can marry one another and it is possible to escape that convention trap.

[b]--[b] The next is my personal favorite, because it supports my proposition of who benefits (>>1641).
"A practice such as FGC is the best alternative only for a male who is attempting to control sexually a large number of females. It is not best for the controlled female, but under the circumstances, it is better for her than the alternative of nonmarriage."
>from: Gerry Mackie, Female Genital Cutting: The Beginning of the End; Page 269;
>in: Female "Circumcision" in Africa: Culture, Controversy, and Change (Directions in Applied Anthropology);
>by: Bettina Shell-Duncan (Editor), Ylva Hernlund (Editor);
>Published by: Lynne Rienner Publishers Inc; Hardcover – July 1, 2000; ISBN-13: 978-1555878719.
>The weblink in sage's post (>>1538) points to a PDF-File with Mackie's text in the thirteenth chapter of that book.[/b][/b][/b][/b][/b]