Abstract:
The issue of female circumcision has attracted polemics in the contemporary period. While it is a practice that has existed from time immemorial in many cultures and traditions, it has become a matter of medical concern in the recent times. It is now being discussed as Female Genital Mutilation and its being challenged at various levels. This study, therefore, aims at establishing the position of the female circumcision in Islam with respect to the right of women under human rights and with a view to ascertaining the position of Islam on it. The method adopted by the study includes the review of relevant literature and oral interviews with some scholars and experts in the medical field. Findings show that female circumcision is not compulsory in Islam unlike that of the male which is emphatically stated by the Islamic law. The study concludes that since female circumcision is not a compulsory tradition in Islam, it will be out of place to enforce circumcision on female children.