Snip: tackling the uncertainties of female circumcision in Singapore

Abstract

Female Circumcision (FC) or Sunat Perempuan in Malay, is prevalent among the Muslim community in Singapore. However, it is not considered to be an obligation. Nonetheless, the Muslim community holds differing views towards the necessity of FC. To differing degrees, they believe it is important for the girls’ health, cleanliness, religious, and moral development. A cross-sectional survey study by the author reveals over 75.9 percent of Muslim parents between ages 25-39 are supportive of FC and will continue it for their daughters. However, 83.3 percent agreed to the lack of available information surrounding FC in Singapore leading to its hiddenness. This has created uncertainty in the Muslim community about whether to practise it or not. In order to provide clarity to Muslim parents on this issue, I propose to aid parents in making informed decisions before choosing FC for their daughters. This capstone focuses on contextualising FC in Singapore through religious, medical, and community avenues. It introduces the history of FC in conjunction with Islamic rulings, dissects the transparency of its surgical procedure, before acknowledging FC's impact on survivors.