What did you know about female genital mutilation (FGM) prior to reading The Last Nomad? What is the relationship between FGM and beliefs about female virginity?

What did you know about female genital mutilation (FGM) prior to reading The Last Nomad? How is FGM normalized in Somalia and how did this harmful practice become an integral procedure there, according to Salh? What is the relationship between FGM and beliefs about female virginity?

I know about FGM, but not the gory details and admit I did not read all of the descriptions. It surprised me that girls bragged about how small their opening was and that the tradition was easily accepted, although women weren't allowed to challenge anything so I guess it makes sense. Later in the book a woman talks about sewing herself up after having children so she and her new husband could pretend she was a virgin. Somewhat confusing because obviously she was not. Somali FGM seems geared to virginity while with other cultures it seems more about women not having sexual satisfaction. Regardless, it's all barbaric.

I had vaguely heard of FGM but not read about before reading the book and I also did not read all the details of the procedure and Somali did go along with the tradition but had no choice especially at her young age and I feel Somali did to maintain the tradition of virginity prior to marriage other women did not have the procedure before and perhaps were not as wedded to maintaining tradition or was Somali under her grandmothers influence.

I have heard of and read about FGM and as a first worlder, find it reprehensible. HOWEVER, this book was the first time that I had heard the perspective of acceptance and cultural positivity. While I still see it as “barbaric” based on my worldview, I so appreciate the author explaining her perspective and it’s ties for respect for virginity.

I only had a superficial understanding of FGM from an aid worker who had served in the region. The fact there are different degrees/levels of FGM was new to me. As someone mentioned in their response above, this is the first time hearing FGM explained in a “positive” sense from a different cultural perspective. FGM was “justified” as guarantee of a young woman’s purity at marriage and as a result, preserved the honor of her family.

I honestly knew very, very little. In fact, when I hear “female mutilation”, for some reason I always pictured in my mind the intentional scarring of faces. (I’m rather embarrassed to admit this.) So to say the least, this section of the book was very eye opening for me. I began researching the practice and found articles written primarily by UNICEF and the United Nations- so perhaps, written by people who are not Somali, and therefore, not raised with this procedure as such a huge and important part of one’s identity. Certainly, if you are a young girl, who has been taken out of school or only taught how to cook and sew- or you are roaming across the desert intent on literally surviving-you lack the information or even the means to acquire the information about harmful and life threatening effects of the procedure. Instead, all you have is the “honor” (that positive word I mentioned in another post) you will bring to your family (the ones you depend on for your very survival).

With regard to virginity, I was shocked by the revelation that it was the responsibility of the girls/unmarried women to protect theirs. Sahl had many close calls with men she knew. Had the men been successful in their attempts to rape her, they would have suffered zero consequences. Sahl would have been seen as the person who committed the wrong by failing to protect her virginity. SHE would have been dishonored. The responsibility of protecting herself from men with bad intentions seemed to make her more vigilant and always aware or her surroundings. But it made me question whether FGM is really about virginity/honor or control. I would think that if culturally the virginity of a woman is revered, men would be more respectful and even protective of women.

I read about female circumcision or female genital mutilation from Alice Walker’s book the “Possessing the Secret of Joy. A must read book to be enlighten about how FGM is done in many countries, including in the southern US, when slave masters saw African women who were circumcised. Even compared it to the Japanese feet binding. I felt in this book she described it flatly, maybe because she was looking forward to this rite of womanhood, despite her sister had a hard time with the procedure. I didn’t think of it as in different stages or degrees of FGM before. Compared to Alice Walker’s book where it starts with a minor character from her book “The Color Purple”, Tashi, who witnesses her sister having the procedure and dies painfully. White missionaries try to convince to Tashi not to get the procedure but is torn between two cultures. She eventually gets the procedure done and devolves into mental illness. From Western standards we are horrified by it. Plus, most of the times the person performing the procedure is not well skilled and reuses a razor blade or knife over and over, and closing the area enough to urinate. And difficulties of sex, infection, …. Also male circumcision is normally done after a baby is born, but men have had this procedure done for various reasons. It was interesting why in her society/country what motivated this rite; to insure that a women would remain a virgin, as if a woman (young girl) could not be responsible for her own virginity. Also to please there husbands. The tighter the better. Here a female considered not cleaned. Enlightening to understand the reasoning behind doing this rite in different countries and why woman would perform this procedure on other young girls. The idea how the witch doctor or the woman responsible for performing this procedure and their female relatives and peers/siblings feeling proud and happy to undergo this procedure (it defines them) And some men enjoy this procedure just the physical appearance and having a better tight, intercourse experience (from my viewpoint, sick and “kinky”). And women wanting to sewed back up after having children so they can be like a virgin again for their husbands. They want to please their husband’s desires. It is wild, horrifying from our Western culture point of view. I was surprised how she explained it so flatly; a matter of fact including the recovery.

I knew of FGM, but it was interesting to read of it from a victim's perspective, and so matter of factly. As so much of her life, this just was.

I knew about it before reading the book, but not the details and what it meant to the girls. How terrible.

For me it was a horrific education on FGM (who knew there were 4 levels?.0 I appreciated the graphic detail as I had heard the term but my hazy sense of what had occurred came no where close to the actual procedures. I, too, was shocked that it was the girl's responsibility to protect her virginity but the author helped me understand that within that culture that had been the standard for centuries. Loss of virginity would shame not only the girl, but her entire family. Amazing.

I have known about FSM for years as it has been discussed in various journals and books I have read. However, to relate FSM to the author put it in a different perspective. The descriptions of what happened are horrifying given the unsanitary, painful and horrific way it is done. I am amazed that Shugri as a nurse still considers this a valuable part of her culture.

I only knew a high level overview of FGM prior to the book. I didn't realize that the girls/women ultimately view FGM as a positive because of how the culture views a woman's purity, the pressure put on them, etc. The practice is even more sad / worse than I thought previously.

I knew about FGM but not in the detail presented in the book. I am one of those readers who need to learn more about a subject even if it is gruesome, so I continued to gather more information. I understand that the cultural significance is, in some part, to preserve the purity of the clan line because that held great importance to the Somalis. It is a barbaric practice but I would suggest, even now in the western world, the onus of preserving a young woman's virginity is still given importance and rests primarily on young women.

I was aware of FGM before, but was horrified by the graphic details in this book and found it difficult to read that section. Even more, I had a difficult time thinking about those mothers and grandmothers who performed it on their own offspring, knowing how painful the experience is themselves. I know this is part of Somali culture, but we Westerners consider it so differently and barbaric, that I found it surprising that Salh, as a nurse, does not seem to find it so.

Like a few other posters, I've been thinking about the fact that Sahl is now a nurse, and yet she still maintains a positive--or at least proud view of her circumcision.

As a nurse, and a resident of both Canada and the United States, certainly Sahl realizes that it is possible for culture and tradition to evolve over time. Practices can change as we learn. It is ok to be proud of honoring your family and long held traditions, while also admitting the tradition is harmful, which appears to be what Sahl is saying here as she states she will not be carrying on this tradition with her children. (Help with page reference please. I've already loaned out the book!)

I volunteer in a Mexican town about 4 hours from the border with Arizona. This past June, there was unprecedented violence. Yet, when a Mexican friend of mine was interviewed by local reporters, she refused to say that she was scared or changing her routines. She told me that she was scared, but didn't want to admit it--as she didn't want people to think bad things about her town, her state, or her country. It was more important to present the situation in a positive light. I think this must in some way be tied to self worth and how wrapped up it is in personal history and place.

Another interesting thing I think this brings up is whether or not it is acceptable EVER to criticize the behavior/traditions/culture of your country. Can you be a good citizen and still not agree with behaviors????

I was aware of this custom but reading this book I learned so much more that it nauseated me. Virginity is a sacred state for young women and the idea of sewing them up maintains that "honor" until after marriage.

I knew about FGM, knew it was still a custom in some other countries, and also knew that there are protests. I know that some of the mutilations lead to horrific infections. It is difficult to understand this practice, just as people in different cultures may be repulsed by the amount of money spent on plastic surgery in the USA for changes in body parts that do not fit into their concept of beauty. However, the difference in this case is that there seem to be many conflicting reports in the world about whether or not FGM is done with the consent of the mutilated female.

The comment about consent makes me wonder what would happen to the tradition if women decided to stop performing the surgery. I’m also not sure if FGM happens primarily among the nomadic people, who may have a stronger connection with clan practices from long, long ago. What do doctors in Somalian hospitals think about female circumcision? Do their traditional beliefs come before medical knowledge. Is consent valued in a patriarchal society?

I found this section of the story one of the most interesting and terrifying. I have heard about FGM in a broad context and its purpose, yet did not understand its extent. I thought I was ready to read about who was involved, how FGM was done, and it’s short- and long-term results. Was I in for a surprise! I had no idea the viciousness and depth of the procedure, let alone the tearing and damage done to show that a female is a virgin when married and her first experience of sexual intercourse. Not only is the female in physical pain, the emotional and psychological impact of that experience has to forever color the act of intercourse. I live near a community in which many Somali refugees have settled. This memoir made I wonder if FGM continues to occur there and how the medical practitioners in this rural small community provide adequate medical care, advice and emotional support for FGM victims and the related infections and child birth issues.

Prior to the book, I had heard about clitoris removal but I was shocked to learn about the "sewing up" to make the smallest hole possible. I can't imagine how dangerous and painful this was. It was fascinating (and sad) to learn about the procedure and reasoning behind it.

I had heard of it before, but not in the horrifying details that Shugri describes in this book. I think that a country that treats half it's population as a possession that can be mutilated like this will always remain a third world country.

I had heard about it, but didn’t actual know all the details. I can’t imagine having to go through it.