The Mayo Clinic has fired one of their doctors for advocating female genital mutilation. Dr. Hatem Elhagaly, a Muslim pediatrician, was dismissed from the top-notch clinic for promoting a practice that is illegal in America but, in his words, “honors Islam.”
The barbaric practice has no health benefits to women. On the contrary, in addition to the emotional and psychological trauma of the procedure, mutilation of female genitals can cause severe bleeding, urinary problems, painful mentruation, cysts, complication in childbirth, sterility and death.
In a statement released announcing Elhagaly’s dismissal, the Mayo Clinic wrote, “Female circumcision in children, referred to as female genital mutilation in U.S. legal statutes, is a felony-level child abuse crime. Mayo Clinic strongly opposes the procedure and it has never been performed at any Mayo Clinic facility.”
An internet blog devoted to cutting-edge medical practices and treatments says that Elhagaly “justifies this position by referring repeatedly to the words of classical Islamic scholars from the four schools of mainstream Sunni Islamic thought, all of which attest to FGM’s legitimacy under Islam. He also refers to the words of the Prophet Muhammad himself, who
reportedly counselled people in his day on how to perform FGM in a way that would be ‘more beautiful to behold and better for [the woman's] husband.’ ”
by Meira Svirsky
Like I’ve said before…guys like him should be thrown in jail and they should throw away the keys. Stupid small dicked perverts as far as I am concerned. I figure these Muslim pervs are afraid that they can’t please a woman so to make sure they would rather remove anything that would give the woman any pleasure. After all they would not like it if they thought they couldn’t pleasure their wives. Actually it all comes down to plain greed. They want to get their rocks off and they couldn’t care less if their wives do. I hope that this is not something the young Muslims of today go along with. Hopefully the young ones have grown a pair and realized that they don’t need this edge and can be happy making their spouses happy. If they can’t then I pity them. Barbarians should not be allowed to practise medicine in the WEST or anywhere where decent humans live.
Below is an update.
-
UPDATE
Currently, Elhagaly is attempting to frame this movement in terms of his religion. This petition is solely focused on a doctor whose medical ethics are extremely questionable, and if ever put in practice, felonious–a doctor who should have no certifications in my state. I do not allege that Dr. Elhagaly has committed a felony. I point solely to the text on Elhagaly’s website itself, which outlines his views on FGM and do not contradict the statements of this petition.
Elhagaly attempts to justify his medical ethics by pointing to his religion and branding the signers of this petition Islamophobes. It should be clear by the content of this petition that our focus is the genital mutilation of children, not the doctor’s religion. Don’t be fooled: FGM is not something to be defended. It is a strange, barbaric, and often punitive act inflicted on young girls for the purposes of subjugation and control. Elhagaly, as stated openly on his website, is in favor of female circumcision. No matter how slight the cut, it is considered FGM, and is felony child abuse.
I don’t care what any doctor believes. I care what medicine he practices and promotes. And FGM isn’t medicine at all.
———-
UPDATE
From the Mayo:
Dr. Elhagaly is no longer employed or caring for patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. We are working with his patients to transition their care to another physician. Because this is a personnel issue, we cannot comment further on Dr. Elhagaly’s employment status.
Female circumcision in children, referred to as female genital mutilation in U.S. legal statutes, is a felony-level child abuse crime. Mayo Clinic strongly opposes the procedure and it has never been performed at any Mayo Clinic facility.
————–
Hatem Elhagaly (AKA “Hatem Al Haj”) worked as a doctor in Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Albert Lea, MN. His special interests are in child development.
He is also a proponent of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
In an Arabic-language paper entitled “Circumcision of Girls: Jurisprudence and Medicine” (original here and here), Elhagaly (AKA “Al Haj”) repeatedly points to the idea that FGM is “an honor” for women, ignoring FGM’s extremely detrimental effects on women’s health and the barbarity of the practice. He attempts to justify his ideas by referencing scholars from several schools of Islamic thought and also the words of Muhammad, including the idea that FGM is desirable “because it is more beautiful to behold and better for her husband.”
Hatem Elhagaly was taking care of young girls in Albert Lea, MN.
Hatem Elhagaly is already gone from his job at the Mayo Clinic. I now demand that the various medical boards that support him revoke his certifications.
Join with me in voicing your outrage. Together, we can insist that his board certifications in this country be revoked.
Remember: It doesn’t matter how “little” you cut a little girl’s vulva. It’s still felony child abuse.