Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam .
Livonia, Michigan is known as Little Palestine. The Detroit suburb is famous for its anti-Israel meetings. You could go hear Mustafa Barghouthi, Omar Barghouti and Ali Abunimah without taking a long drive.
It’s also known for its shady doctors.
Dr. Murtaza Hussain was busted for letting unlicensed employees diagnose patients and write prescriptions. Dr. Waseem Alam and Dr. Hatem Ataya pleaded guilty in the nation’s largest Medicare fraud case totaling $712 million in false billings centering on Shahid Tahir, Muhammad Tariq and Manavar Javed’s Livonia medical firms . But what was going on at one Livonia clinic was far worse than the theft of millions. Anyone passing by at the right time could hear the screams of little girls.
We think of horrors like female genital mutilation as a terrible thing that happens over “there.” But as the implacable tide of Muslim immigration swept across Europe, “there” became the United Kingdom.
England recorded 5,700 cases of FGM in less than a year. France has jailed 100 people for FGM. An estimated 50,000 women in Germany have undergone FGM with a 30 percent boost due to the rise of Islamic migration in the last several years. In Sweden, it’s 38,000. And now, as American towns and cities are reshaped by Muslim migration, “there” is now right here. The terrible practice is in America.
Sweden was the first Western country to outlaw FGM. But despite the prevalence of FGM in Sweden, there have only been a handful of convictions. The United States banned FGM in 1997. A Federal report in 2012 warned that 513,000 women and girls in the United States were at risk for FGM.
Now after twenty years of the law’s existence, a Muslim doctor has become the first to be charged.
Operating out of a Livonia clinic, Jumana Fakhruddin Nagarwala abused unknown numbers of little girls. The end came when law enforcement traced calls to her from a Minnesota number. Then they followed the trail to a hotel in Farmington Hills; a Michigan city at the center of an Islamic Center controversy.
It was Friday evening; the holy day of the Islamic week when Muslims are told to “leave off business” and “hasten to the remembrance of Allah.” That is what the two women leading two little girls to be mutilated thought that they were doing. Muslims believe that on Friday, angels stand outside the doors of mosques to record who shows up for prayer. But it was the hotel surveillance cameras that watched and recorded as the two little girls arrived, unaware of the horror that was about to happen to them.
The 7-year-old girl had been told that she was going to Detroit for a “special” girls’ trip. Instead her special trip turned into a nightmare. After the Muslim doctor allegedly mutilated her, she warned the child not to talk about what was done to her.
Then it was back to Minnesota.
The other little girl drew a picture of the room. And she drew an X on the examining room table to show where her blood had spilled. With pain radiating all the way down her body, the Muslim doctor who had abused her told her that she was fine.
And her parents told her not to tell.
It was early February. The temperature on that terrible day in Livonia fell as low as 12 degrees. By the next day, she was back in Minnesota, likely the “Little Mogadishu” in Minneapolis, where temperatures had cratered to 9 degrees. The abused little girl could hardly walk. And in her pain and anguish, she left behind one of her gloves. The glove had her name on it. When the house of horrors in Livonia was finally raided, that solitary child’s glove was still there like a gruesome trophy.
The investigation turned back home to Michigan. Authorities found plenty of girls who had been abused by Jumana. And now she’s under arrest.
But the culture of silence still continues.
The criminal complaint is as circuitous as the entire culture of FGM. It relies heavily on euphemisms. The perpetrators and the girls at risk are referred to only as "members of a particular religious and cultural community". What is this community? It must thereafter remain nameless.
Jumana is a “member of the community”. The family that delivered their little girls to Jumana is "part of the community in Minnesota". What community? As the little girls from that nameless community in Minnesota were told, don’t talk about it. Don’t mention the community.
The full name of the perpetrator, Jumana Fakhruddin Nagarwala, is rarely used. Fakhruddin is far less ambiguous than the rest of her name. It comes from the Arabic and means “Pride in religion.”
That nameless religion practiced by the nameless community.
It isn’t the Swedes or Norwegians of Minnesota who mutilate their daughters. In Minnesota, it’s largely a Somali problem. Back home in Somalia, 98% of little girls have been mutilated. And the Somali Muslims who have migrated here in great numbers do their best to keep up the gruesome practice in America. The Hennepin County Medical Center, a hospital located in a place named after a Franciscan priest, has a special report on dealing with FGM that emphasizes cultural sensitivity.
It defines the “big hurdle” as, "Muslim (Somali) Culture: Value Acquiescence to Allah as supreme authority" and "American Culture: Value the supremacy of the individual".
That’s certainly one way of defining it.
Just as Sweden was the first European country to ban FGM to little avail, Minnesota became the first state to ban FGM, also to little avail. As the Somali Muslims keep pouring in, 44,293 women and girls in the state face the threat of being mutilated. Some of the Somali settlers send their daughters back home to be abused. Others take a shorter trip to Michigan.
Which “community” is it that encompasses an Indian Muslim like Jumana and the likely Somali victims while operating in Little Palestine? It isn’t an ethnic community or even a religious one. It’s Islam.
But the official word is that FGM is a practice that occurs in “certain Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities”. It is certainly unique to list a practice in reverse order of probability.
Stories on FGM occasionally quote some local cleric insisting that the practice has no foundation in Islam. That would come as news to the Hadith which quotes Mohammed as saying, "Circumcision is a law for men and a preservation of honour for women."
This is the honor of Islam for which women are murdered and mutilated. And to preserve the honor of Islam, we are told to remain silent about it. It’s not only the abusers and the abused girls who maintain the culture of silence. It’s the authorities and the media that carefully step around the obvious. Just as with Islamic terrorism, a refusal to name the problem makes it impossible to solve.
Jumana Fakhruddin Nagarwala made her court appearance wearing “a light-colored, matching dress and khimar, or veil that covered her head, neck and shoulders.”
The term is meaningless to the average American. As it’s meant to be.
The Khimar is a heavier Muslim head covering. The Koranic version that mentions it also casually references castrated male slaves. The drives behind the Khimar and FGM are not far apart. Both stigmatize women and enforce Islamic traditions of repression with brutal violence.
Islam’s honor originates from the repression of the “Other”. That includes non-Muslims and Muslim women. The girls brutalized on Jumana’s exam table were abused as part of an ancient tradition. Jumana took pride in her abuses because, as her name signifies, she takes pride in her religion.
If we truly want to end such abuses, we must take as much pride in our principles and values as monsters like Jumana do in her theirs.
Yep they are a sick bunch that will continue their sick ways because for some reason beyond comprehension many people are OK with Muslim mistreatment of women and they get a pass. What's even worse is that if you point this out you get called a racist among other things by those very same people.
What's even worse is that if you point this out you get called a racist among other things by those very same people.
That statement is totally untrue.
I don't know of any none Muslin person that condones FMG (female circumcision). Even many Muslims are against the practice.
It would be a good idea if you would check into some facts before you start post comments that are only based on you own frivolous notions.
(I know, 'facts', that seems to be something you Right wingnuts are allergic to)
Actually the article contains a links to a reports and groups that condemn the practice and one report shows the WHO of the United Nations is concerned about the various places in the world where FMG is still practiced.
I don't know of any none Muslin person that condones FMG (female circumcision). Even many Muslims are against the practice.
What's a Muslin? Regardless, do you think the fact you don't personally know any constitutes as some kind of proof?
It would be a good idea if you would check into some facts before you start post comments that are only based on you own frivolous notions.
Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to follow your own damn advice. Here is info on how FGM has DOUBLED in the past 10 years in the US:
The number of women and girls at risk for female genital mutilation (FGM) in the United States has more than doubled in the past 10 years, according to new figures released on Friday.
The data, the first on FGM in the U.S. for a decade, is being published to coincide with the United Nations’ International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM .
More than half a million women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of undergoing FGM in the U.S. or abroad, or have already undergone the procedure, including 166,173 under the age of 18, according to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) . Immigration to the U.S. from African and Middle Eastern countries—where the practice of FGM is a deeply entrenched cultural tradition—is the sole factor for the rise in numbers, says Mark Mather, a demographer at PRB who led the data analysis. There has not been an increase in the practice happening in the U.S. itself, he says.
The last large-scale study of FGM in the U.S. was released by the African Women’s Health Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2004 and found more than 227,000 American women were at risk of or had undergone FGM. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to publish long overdue federal data in the coming months; the last federal survey on the FGM in the U.S. was done by the Department of Health and Human Services in 1997 and found roughly 168,000 women had undergone or were at risk from FGM, based on census data from 1990.
An unpublished draft of the impending CDC report seen by Newsweek more or less matches the PRB study, counting 513,000 women and girls living with FGM in the U.S. today.
( I know, 'facts', that seems to be something you Right wingnuts are allergic to )
At least we can process facts. Give it a try. " I know, 'facts', that seems..." BTW your grammar sucks. Ask your grandchildren for help.
What's a Muslin?
A Muslin is a typing error.
Regardless, do you think the fact you don't personally know any constitutes as some kind of proof?
I did not say my information regarding FGM is 'proof' of anything. I simply stated I don't know , meaning I have not seen any reports or read anything about anyone outside of certain Islamic sects that condones the practice. If I am wrong about that, you are invited to provide any controverting evidence you can find.
Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to follow your own damn advice. Here is info on how FGM has DOUBLED in the past 10 years in the US:
Perhaps it would be a good idea if you learned to read and understand the information you are providing to support your claim.
In the first place, as pointed out in your link , the immigration of Muslims to the US has dramatically increased in recent decades, plus there are girls at risk who were born in the US that are included in the totals.
The number of women and girls at risk for female genital mutilation (FGM) in the United States has more than doubled in the past 10 years, according to new figures released on Friday.
More than half a million women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of undergoing FGM in the U.S. or abroad, or have already undergone the procedure, i ncluding 166,173 under the age of 18, according to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) . Immigration to the U.S. from African and Middle Eastern countries—where the practice of FGM is a deeply entrenched cultural tradition— is the sole factor for the rise in numbers , says Mark Mather, a demographer at PRB who led the data analysis. There has not been an increase in the practice happening in the U.S. itself, he says.
An unpublished draft of the impending CDC report seen by Newsweek more or less matches the PRB study, counting 513,000 women and girls living with FGM in the U.S. today.
What do they mean by "living with"? Do they mean women and girls that that have been mutilated, plus the women and girls who potentially could be subjected to the practice?
At least we can process facts. Give it a try.
I rarely post anything I cannot back up with supporting evidence to support my position.
What you should try is going a step beyond p rocessing facts and start reading and comprehending what you are posting.
The link you have posted here actually controverts your claim that FMG is increasing in the US.
" I know, 'facts', that seems..." BTW your grammar sucks. Ask your grandchildren for help.
My grammar is fine. Please explain for us what you see that grammatically incorrect in that sentence.
(I know, 'facts', that seems to be something you Right wingnuts are allergic to)
What was the purpose of that comment, other than to generalize a smear on everyone whose feelings and beliefs differ from the one who said it? That statement simply contributes to the destruction of this web site.
(I know, 'facts', that seems to be something you Right wingnuts are allergic to)
What was the purpose of that comment, other than to generalize a smear on everyone whose feelings and beliefs differ from the one who said it? That statement simply contributes to the destruction of this web site.
The left can't even figure out their own genders and nominated a notorious liar for president. Yet they think somebody else is allergic to facts.
Summed up quite nicely.
What was the purpose of that comment,
To emphasis that right wingers often hold positions that are contrary to factual information.
That statement simply contributes to the destruction of this web site.
That statement is indicative of the dialog that keeps the site active. Your comment seems to indicate the site will be better off if everyone was always in agreement.
That statement did not have to be made in such a mean-spirited manner, but then you just approved of it, didn't you.
That statement did not have to be made in such a mean-spirited manner, but then you just approved of it, didn't you.
Hence the snarky response that he should follow his own damn advice
I think everyone would agree that "female circumcision" is immoral in US culture (should be in all cultures) and should be outlawed in the US. I think it is well worthwhile for media to expose any occurrences of it in the US.
Having said that, the seeded article is blatant Muslim bashing.
First of all , it is an article from one of the most anti-Muslim and Islamophobic web sites in existence, FrontPage Mag. Its founder, David Horowitz , is regularly listed as one of the biggest Muslim haters in America.
Second, the article is virtually devoid of facts and figures. It is all speculation intended to create outrage against Muslim-Americans.
Here are some suspicious sentences from the article.
Operating out of a Livonia clinic, Jumana Fakhruddin Nagarwala abused unknown numbers of little girls.
Authorities found plenty of girls who had been abused by Jumana. And now she’s under arrest.
As the Somali Muslims keep pouring in, 44,293 women and girls in the state face the threat of being mutilated.
This is the honor of Islam for which women are murdered and mutilated. And to preserve the honor of Islam, we are told to remain silent about it. It’s not only the abusers and the abused girls who maintain the culture of silence. It’s the authorities and the media that carefully step around the obvious. Just as with Islamic terrorism, a refusal to name the problem makes it impossible to solve.
The girls brutalized on Jumana’s exam table were abused as part of an ancient tradition. Jumana took pride in her abuses because, as her name signifies, she takes pride in her religion.
What percentage of Muslim girls in the US have this done to them? Is it widespread or rare in the US? You have to have these answers as facts, not just anti-Muslim speculation designed to invoke prejudice against all Muslims.
Operating out of a Livonia clinic, Jumana Fakhruddin Nagarwala abused unknown numbers of little girls.
From Newsweek:
More than half a million women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of undergoing FGM in the U.S. or abroad, or have already undergone the procedure, including 166,173 under the age of 18, according to the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) . Immigration to the U.S. from African and Middle Eastern countries—where the practice of FGM is a deeply entrenched cultural tradition—is the sole factor for the rise in numbers, says Mark Mather, a demographer at PRB who led the data analysis. There has not been an increase in the practice happening in the U.S. itself, he says.
and?
Immigration to the U.S. from African and Middle Eastern countries—where the practice of FGM is a deeply entrenched cultural tradition—is the sole factor for the rise in numbers, says Mark Mather, a demographer at PRB who led the data analysis. There has not been an increase in the practice happening in the U.S. itself, he says.
The above suggests that every female Muslim in America is at risk by virtue of being a Muslim female. I don't know how helpful this information is to addressing the problem.
John,
You seem to miss the issue. If we have a rising population of Muslims who practice this, it should be outlawed with prison time. I mean it's pretty simple, as issues go.
It should be outlawed, I agree.
The article is intended to be anti-Muslim, not just anti- FGM.
The sloppy use of words implying it is more widespread than it really is in the US, and the fact the article comes from the islamophobic FrontPage Mag tells us that.
@ Johnrussell:
Perhaps this article will be less offensive to you. It is from the Detroit Free Press (Isn't Detroit a city close to Dearbourn?)
Have to also wonder at the practice of having multiple wives being allowed by those that come here form afar. Seems like that is not in accordance with our laws-wasn't this practice even banned in Utah with the Mormons? And yet we see pictures of practicing immigrants with multiple wives.
At least women won't feel it when President Trump grabs them by the pussy.
It's incredibly funny that half of you posting on this seed are pretending to be concerned about this horrible practice since you clearly don't care about women. Treating women like shit is part of MAGA according to the scumbag in the White House.
I imagine your concern is more driven by the fact that it's immigrants that are performing these acts. It helps your narrative of anti immigrant.
"Treating women like shit is part of MAGA..."
More empty rhetoric without evidence. Were Democrats this incensed when they elected serial abuser Bill Clinton?
I don't know because I didn't vote for Bill Clinton and I'm not speaking for all voters. I'm speaking for myself. The pig in the white house bragged about grabbing pussies. did you miss that? Is that not evidence enough? At least be honest. Just say you're okay with the President of the United States using his position to intimidate and grab women. At least be a man about it and stop hiding behind your twisted logic.
You have no evidence of abuse except some locker room bravado during which he claims that women welcome his advances.
That no evidence thing only works for Democrats dude.
Bill DID it and Trump TALKED about it. You must have been really pissed when Bill was president!!!
Yes - I was very disgusted and enraged with what Bill was caught doing. It was despicable and I can't believe Hilary stayed with him but she had her own political aspirations and I'm pretty sure that played a part in her staying.
I give you props for consistency PJ
At least be a man about it and stop hiding behind your twisted logic.
Thanks for pointing out that only women are permitted to hide behind twisted logic ...
Yea Cherenkov,
Bill only DID it, Trump is the one that had the audacity to TALK about it. LMAO! You can't even make this shit up.
Yea Cherenkov,
Bill only DID it, Trump is the one that had the audacity to TALK about it. LMAO! You can't even make this shit up.
Too true. The selective faux outrage is impressive.
Off topic, PJ. Please take your overly wide paint brush with you when you go.
Are you a moderator now? I just want to make sure so I know going forward that you will be targeting me when you view comments with your biased eye.
BTW I think I ran across your "jewels" on another seed. Apparently they reported me. You may want to re-attach them.
Nope, just get tired of being involved in a discussion only to have it off-tracked by comments that have nothing at all to do the story or discussion, just some kind of a rant because people are not paying enough attention to you and your histrionics.
Don't worry about my jewels or me for that matter. Comment removed for CoC violation [ph]
Comment removed for CoC violation. [ph]
Okay, I'm learning the rules. I can be attacked but I can't respond. Duly noted.
PJ,
All you had to do was flag the comment and I would have looked at it. That is why I put in the flagging system. If it isn't flagged I don't respond. It happens that someone else just flagged the comment, and so I moderated it.
I don't report people's comments. It's not important to me. I shouldn't have complained about getting a violation. It is what it is.
Spike you are losing it. I'm not sure you had much to begin with, but whatever it was, you are losing it.
He's completely obsessed with me. I never engage him unless he makes a direct comment to me.
I agree with JR that this article is muslim bashing. I've read the Quran and female circumcision is not part of the faith.
Female circumcision is a cultural practice that predates both Islam and Christianity with no foundation in either religion. Among countries grappling with the problem are Egypt (which has been doing it at least a thousand years before Islam) Ethiopia (which isn't Muslim), and Somalia. Old practices simply don't die if the people continue to believe in them.
The main points in the so-called "Muslim-bashing" article are also made in a Detroit Free Press article:
(Is the Detroit Free Press a "Muslim-bashing" source?)
It's still a practice that predates Islam not a creation of Islam. Some Ethiopians practice female circumcision. They're Christians but it has nothing to do with Christianity.
A Muslim woman did something we don't approve of? Clearly we should deport all Muslims.