Infibulation must be the ultimate form of population control practiced in countries where women are not valued. The death rate from female circumcision is high and the rate of complications at time of birth is high also. Fewer fertile women leads to lower population.

Female circumcision should not be practiced by Australian residents. Migrant groups that don't want their daughters to retain their genitals should not come to Australia.

Let the Somalia athletes remain in Australia

Where have you and other members of the sisterhood been hiding Liz? Good to see you have finally found your voice. Why is it that on some occasions we are told by educators and other mavens that for the West to impose its standards on other countries is arrogant and is also cast as an attempt to re-establish imperialism. However, on other occasions we’re invited to be shocked at some cultural practices in less enlightened or third world countries.

Liz just look at the sisterhood’s track record: silence on a female sent to prison without breaking the law; vocality about secret women’s business; silence on some NT Aboriginal women and children who are now refugees; vocality about equal representation in federal and state parliaments; silence about the rape of some Sydney females based on ethnicity; silence about the FGM practice of some migrants who have been arriving here since the early 70’s; and other mood swings which betray the essence of capriciousness. How amusing that you find fault in others.

Liz, remember the mantra which washes away all sins: ALL cultures are equal.

A little investigation on the internet reveals that girls in those countries that practice this horrific cutting will not be chosen for marriage in most instances if they are not mutilated thus keeping the tradition alive.
The husband will take a very sharp knife to the 'honeymoon' bed, proceed to cut open a hole in his new wife to admit his penis, then after depositing his seed..send her off to be re-stitched! Horror upon horror if she becomes pregnant....!!
This barbaric behaviour is not my idea of a loving, caring relationship, however i dont live in a country that practices this mutilation.
The mindset of the men in these communities to choose only a wife that has been mutilated is equal to the mindset of the older women in the same communities who actually perform the mutilation. Both genders co-operate to perpetuate the idea that unless the girls are 'done' early in life no man will marry them and they will have no chance of a 'normal' life in their community.
I dont know how these practices can ever end. I do think these refugees deserve as much compassion as we can possibly give and should be allowed to stay in Australia so that they will be able to live their lives in relative peace without the threat of having their genitals mutilated.

The author starts by rightly condemning the barbaric non Christian practice of circumicising young girls. She then someone works in her anti Howard policies in regards to Iraq and 'Howard's multicultural war'.

If she wants to put an arguement that all children who are at risk of
abuse should be allowed to immigrate to Australia, then we better make room for every non Western nation to open up the flood gates.

I am in favour of the young girls from the Sierra Leone Commonwealth games getting Assylum as long as they sign an alliegance to be loyal to the country that is opening up their arms to them.

The anti Howard multicultural policies would not be needed if we had not been so stupid as to our the multi cultural policy we have had for the last 20 years more than likely starting with Whitlam (although I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong)

This article sits a little oddly with me.
I agree that female circumcision is horrifying and wrong and cannot be justified, that's why i got confused when the author seemed to be arguing, mid way through the piece, that as it was "cultural", there was somehow a debate about whether it could be seen as acceptable.
I daresay it was "cultural" for the Boers to oppress blacks in south africa - that didn't make it right or acceptable. It could be argued that anti-semitism was/is cultural in Christian Europe - that also does not make it right or acceptable. Suttee ( the burning of widows on their husbands funeral pyre in India), footbinding, honour killings and the stoning of adulteresses are all "cultural" practices, and all are cruel and wrong.
The human rights of women and girls are no less valid just because their oppressors are their husbands, fathers, mothers, mother-in-laws, brothers or aunts.

If Australia admits every down trodden oppressed woman from every brutal ,third world country, we are in for a vast population increase . Because then the men from those same countries will come here seeking their women.
We have far too many opportunistic aliens here now. The latest lot who stayed around to collect their dues -then its back to the old country until trouble hits .We are expected to save "Australians" who add nothing to this country.
We need to look after our own, they should come first.
Our immigration laws need tightening up drastically.