Conflicting Human Rights: An Analysis of the Practice of Female Genital Mutilation in the Broader Context of Religion vs. Women’s Rights

Women in almost all social set-ups continue to struggle for basic human rights to remain at par with their male counterparts. One of the most prevalent pushbacks that has existed from times immemorial, which they face even today happens to be from the constant conflict that arises between Freedom of Religion and Human Rights. This paper dives into one such ritualistic practice of Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting (FGM/C), a gross violation of women’s bodily autonomy that prevails in various parts of the globe. Through discussions, we try to look at this practice from the scope of national interventions as well as in the larger international debate between Shariah law and the progression of women and what are sort of the right questions to ask in the background of the politicization of religion by states. Overall, we hope to achieve a better understanding of how the bigger issues help us to cater to localized eradication of FGM/C.