It is long been assumed that the odious practice of female genital mutilation was primarily limited to tribal enclaves in the least civilized areas of Africa and the most extreme sects of Islam.
But according to Great Britain's Health and Social Care Information Centre, nearly 1,000 cases of female genital mutilation were reported in hospitals across England in the months of October and November of last year.
In October 455 cases were reported and in November 466 cases of FGM were reported. The numbers for December have not yet been released.
The practice of female genital mutilation or “female circumcision’ has been illegal in the UK since 1985. However no one has been convicted in the recent uptick in the practice.
The barbaric act consists of partial or total removal of the external female genitalia and is done entirely for non-medical reasons.
It is most popular in parts of north and east Africa as well as in in the Middle East where it is performed on pre-pubescent girls and is thought to mark the passage into womanhood. The practice can lead to lifelong suffering and even death.
The tradition is most prominent in the Islamic world although there is no mention of female circumcision in the Quran.
In a 2003 UNICEF survey it was found that 97 percent of married women in Egypt have undergone genital mutilation and Egypt’s Ministry of Health a Population found that more than half of girls between the ages of 10-18 had been circumcised
But we’re not talking about Egypt. We’re talking about England.
If this horrific kind of thing were happening with such frequency in the United States, it would be the top media story for months and a bipartisan coalition of politicians would have cracked down on the perpetrators long ago. However, with the rise of multiculturalism in Great Britain, authorities have less ability to crack down on these type of practices brought over from the Islamic world.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in Great Britain.