Re: girls and henna
Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on September 23, 1999 at 02:25:15:
In Reply to: Re: girls and henna posted by Kara on September 23, 1999 at 01:20:21:
What blew me away was to find out that excision etc has been practiced
since Pharonic Egypt, and was done at one time or other across the
entire African - Eastern Mediterranean - Arab world! (In Yemen, the
henna artist (barber's wife) is also the lady who does excision.)
I've recently read about 20 books on women's sexuality in the ancient,
North African and Arab worlds, (in trying to understand how henna fits
into women's lives). I understand why women determine that excision
is crucial to their lives, and why it is so hard for health care
workers to convince them to not do this, even when it is illegal in
most countries.....still, not an easy thing to wrap my brain around.
And, if they must do it.....shouldn't it merit more than just tea and
biscuits to celebrate?