Awqaf Minister, Dr. Mahmoud Hamdy Zakzouk, asked all imams nationwide to prohibit female circumcision during their Friday sermons and to say that it is a mere habit that has absolutely nothing to do with Islam.
In his speech at the inauguration of the eighth specialized training session for imams at the Nour Mosque in Abbasiya yesterday, Zakzouk said: "During your Friday sermons, you must stress that female circumcision is just one of the "bad" habits widespread in some countries of the Nile basin, including Egypt, and that it is not at all a sign of Islamic worship.
This is proved by the fact that Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, does not know anything called 'female circumcision' and neither do all Gulf and Northern African countries and several Islamic States".
He pointed out that 100,000 copies of a book entitled "Circumcision Is Not an Islamic Ritual", printed by the Ministry of Awqaf, will be distributed to imams, ministries and libraries nationwide in order to raise awareness about the physical and psychological risks linked to this habit.
Zakzouk also reaffirmed that the veil is not a sign of worship, but a mere habit that has absolutely nothing to do with religion. He said: "If the Almighty ordered Muslims to turn their eyes away from something, what does a man turn his eyes away from if the woman covers her entire body, including her face?"
