Mayo Clinic fires doctor who said female genital mutilation is an "honor" for women

Mayo Clinic fires doctor who said female genital mutilation is an “honor” for women

Dr. Hatem Elhagaly, aka Dr. Hatem al-Haj, is a Muslim jurist who has stated this:

The ruling on circumcision: Scholars have differed on the ruling on circumcision. They have agreed on its legitimacy for both sexes, but beyond that they have differed. Some--most famously the Shafi’ites--believe that it is obligatory for both sexes. Some believe it is obligatory for men only, and some believe it is recommended for both. At the very least it can be said that for women it is an honor, and for men it is sunnah [i.e. it is in accord with the tradition of Muhammad].

Longtime Jihad Watch reader CGW saw that report on Jihad Watch and sprang into action, contacting the Mayo Clinic, where Elhagaly was employed, and starting a petition. The Mayo Clinic sent this email out yesterday:

From: Public Affairs
Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 2:16 PM
Subject: RE: Dr. Hatem Elhagaly

Dr. Elhagaly is no longer employed or caring for patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. We are working with his patients to transition their care to another physician. Because this is a personnel issue, we cannot comment further on Dr. Elhagaly’s employment status.

Female circumcision in children, referred to as female genital mutilation in U.S. legal statutes, is a felony-level child abuse crime. Mayo Clinic strongly opposes the procedure and it has never been performed at any Mayo Clinic facility.

This is a huge victory for human rights and women’s rights. Huge kudos and thanks to CGW, who spearheaded this effort single-handedly and is not stopping with this: see the latest petition here.

Twitter
Telegram
LinkedIn
Email
Copy
Link copied
Print

Robert Spencer