14.10.2013. UNICEF and Al-Azhar International Islamic Center for Population Studies released a book entitled FGM/C: Between the Incorrect Use of Science and the Misunderstood Doctrine, which is the second edition of a former publication from 2005, now reviewed by the Former President of Al Azhar University Dr. Ahmad Omar Hashim, the Former Minister of Waqfs Abdullah Al Hussaini Hilal and the Former-Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa Mohamed.

The book explains the religious background of FGM in Islam and refutes the idea of female circumcision being Sunna. It points to the sexual and reproductive funtions of female external genitalia and the Islamic demand for sexual fullfillment for both sexes. It also discusses common misbeliefs such as the idea that a clitoris would grow as large as a man’s organ. The book is a usefull collection of arguments against FGM within an Islamic context. Yet, it errs when claiming that “within the Islamic World, FGM/C is practiced only in Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Djibouti, and some parts of Yemen and Oman.” This leaves out a large number of countries where FGM is practiced such as Iraq, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia and several African countries where Islam is the majority religion or the religion of a large minority.