Abuse - Genital Mutilation

. . . it is clear that there is a profound difference between the Bahá’í attitude to the circumcision of males and the excision of females.

It will not be an easy task to abolish female excision, since it is so ancient and has such profound emotional and social undertones. Only the wholehearted acceptance of the authority of the Revelation of Bahá’u’lláh is likely to produce the conviction and courage necessary to make the change among large sectors of the population. Hence the emphasis that the Universal House of Justice has placed on the deepening of the believers' understanding of the Faith and on a patient but persistent programme by the institutions of the Cause in weaning them away from this practice. . . . it is clear that there is a profound difference between the Bahá’í attitude to the circumcision of males and the excision of females.

The Bahá’í Faith does not attempt to suppress cultural diversity. However, this does not mean that all traditions and practices must inevitably be preserved in a future Bahá’í society. Those practices associated with initiation ceremonies which are in conflict with Bahá’í law are to be discarded, and the believers are encouraged to change their old ways and follow the way of Bahá’u’lláh. The practice of female circumcision, which forms part of the initiation rites among some tribes, is contrary to the spirit of the Bahá’í teachings. Bahá’í institutions have the duty of weaning the friends from it through an ongoing programme of education based on spiritual principles and sound scientific information.

The House of Justice has noted a growing concern on the part of medical authorities in Africa and other places over the various methods and dire consequences of the operations involved in such genital mutilation, and that increasing attention is being given to this matter by governments and organizations, as well as by medical experts and social scientists.