ICC Note: The Islamic University of AL Azhar is joining Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Egypt to fight against child abuse and, in particular, female genital mutilation. As many as 850 religious leaders, Christian and Muslim, are fighting against the harmful and dangerous procedure. AS many as 92% of married Egyptian women have undergone these practices.

 05/14/2016 Egypt (Christian Post): The Islamic University of Al Azhar, the highest academic center of Sunni Islam, has joined the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Egypt in the fight against the epidemic of female genital mutilation.

Fides News Agency reported that Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II and Sheikh Ahmed al Tayyeb, imam of al-Azhar, signed a joint statement on Monday committing their fight against the many abuses children in Egypt suffer.

Statistics show that more than 70 percent of all Egyptian children suffer some form of abuse or violence within their families and communities, Fides added.

As many as 850 leaders of churches and mosques, including imam, priests, monks, and pastoral workers are expected to attend preparation courses that will allow them to engage more effectively and lead the fight against “genital mutilation, early marriage, kidnapping and sexual abuse.”

Child agency UNICEF has warned that at least 200 millions girls and women around the world in 30 different countries, mainly in Africa, have been subjected to genital mutilation, suffering “profound, permanent, and utterly unnecessary harm.”

The practice is carried out for various reasons, often a mixture between cultural and religious beliefs, but is primarily aimed at ensuring girls remain “pure” before marriage, so as not to damage their marriage prospects or the family’s status.

CNN reported back in 2015 that genital mutilation is a problem for millions of schoolgirls in Egypt, with as many as 92 percent of married Egyptian women between the ages of 15 to 49 having been subjected to the medically dangerous practice.

…