Mosque condemns imam’s comments on genital mutilation

FALLS CHURCH, Va. – A Virginia mosque outside Washington is condemning its leading imam’s seeming endorsement of female genital mutilation.

The Washington Post reports (http://wapo.st/2qT2Hpe ) that the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center’s Board of Directors said Monday that it rejects Imam Shaker Elsayed’s description of the practice as a way to avoid “hyper-sexuality” and “the honourable thing to do if needed.”

In a clip of a lecture circulated last week by a right-wing watchdog group, Elsayed warns against more serious procedures, but suggests seeking a Muslim gynecologist’s advice to see whether minimal action is necessary.

The board’s statement says genital mutilation is “prohibited in Islam as well as the laws of the land” and includes a retraction from Elsayed.

The Falls Church mosque’s second imam, Johari Abdul-Malik, and 20 others called on the board Monday to terminate Elsayed’s contract.