Country Profile of SOMALIA in English

8/20/2019 Country Profile of SOMALIA in English

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Info4Migrants

SOMALIACountry pro le

Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615


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637,657 km 2

10,428 mlnPOPULATION

GDP per capita

CURRENCY

1 € = approx 1000 sos

$600

Languages SOMALI, ARABIC

Somali Shilling (SOS)

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Somalia (Somali: Soomaaliya, Arabic: aṣ-Ṣūmāl) is on the Horn

of Africa, and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibou tothe north-west, and Kenya on its south-west. The country hasthe longest coastline on the African con nent, and as such, hasmany beaches. The average temperature round the year is 20to 40⁰C.

This is a country with a troubled past. Civil war, military coups,border disputes and warlordism are the general course ofevents here. Things started to improve a er the Ethiopian

Army withdrew in 2007 a er defea ng an Islamist govern-ment, but since then violence has ared up again with there-emergence of Islamist and other clan and warlord-a liatedmili as.

Somalia’s economy has been seriously hampered by yearsof gh ng and poli cal strife, as well as a severe long-termdrought which has a ected the whole of East Africa. Subsis-tence agriculture and livestock rearing occupy most of theworking popula on. Oil and gas deposits have been located,but their exploita on has been in abeyance due to the lack ofan e ec ve central government.

Na onal Flag

Coat of arms

COUNTRY BACKGROUND

MOGADISHU

INDIAN OCEAN

ETHIOPIA

K E N Y A

SOMALIA



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SOMALIA FACTS

IndependenceSomalia comprises of 27 regions and was colonized byboth Britain and France before it gained independenceon July 1, 1960. Bri sh Somaliland gained independencefrom Britain on June 26, 1960 and Italian Somalilandgained independence from Italy just a few days a er thaton July 1, 1960.

Religion and ethnic make-upThe majority of Somalis are Sunni Muslims and a smallerpercentage follows the Shia Muslim denomina on andSu sm. The Somalis make up about 85% of the ethniccomposi on of Somalia, Bantus make up about 14%, and

there are about 30, 000 Arabs in Somalia.

CapitalMogadishu, also known as Xamar, is the capital of Soma-lia and its largest city with over a million inhabitants. Themajority of Somalia ci zens live in the countryside and inMogadishu region; there are only a few major ci es in thecountry.

Literacy rateReading and wri ng skills among Somalis over 15 years is37.8%. Women’s literacy rate is lower, 25.8 percent com-pared with 49.7 percent for men (UNESCO, 2007).



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ClothingMen usually wear western style pants or a plaid ma’awis(kilt) western shirts and shawls. Women wear dresses,Direh, a long billowing dress that is worn over pe coats,a Coan no, a four-yard cloth ed over the shoulders anddraped around the waist, Toob, commonly worn through-out Africa, Hijab, and head scarves are common.

BeveragesBecause almost all people in Somalia are Muslims, they donot drink alcoholic beverages. The most common beveragein Somalia is tea, especially black tea sweetened with milk

and sugar. Drinking 4-6 cups of sweet tea a day is common.Some nomads drink a fermented beverage called chino,which is made by burying camel’s milk in a leather ask for aweek. Kahawa (co ee) is another popular beverage in Soma-lia. There are two methods of preparing it. The rst involvesmixing seeds from one or two cardamom pods, water, freshlyground co ee beans, ground cardamom and ground ginger ina saucepan and bringing to boil. Then reduce heat and main-tain at a low boil for ten to een minutes. The second meth-

od requires you to bring water and cardamom seeds to a boil.Keep on a low boil for ten minutes. Add co ee. Simmer for

ve minutes more. Add ground cardamom and ginger.

Da ng and marriageDa ng is not the same in Somalia as it is in the west.Young urban people usually meet in universi es or atwork and try to get their parents to establish a court-ship for them. Marriages in the rural areas are usuallyarranged. Da ng one on one doesn’t happen un l a erthe engagement or un l the marriage contract is signed.

Usually, weddings are spread over 3 nights of dancingand singing, where women and men celebrate separate-ly. The groom has to give a bridal token to the bride’sfamily.

SOMALIA FACTS



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SOMALIA FACTS

FoodSomali cuisine re ects the people’s clever use of scarceresources. People usually begin the day with a at breadcalled canjero or laxoo, liver, and either cereal or por-ridge made of millet or cornmeal. The midday meal isthe largest and consists of rice or noodles (pasta becamevery popular under Italian rule) with sauce and perhapsmeat. The evening meal is very light and might includebeans, mu o (pa es made of Oats or corn) or a saladwith more canjero. Somalis adore spiced tea, but sheep,goat and camel’s milk are also popular.

MyrrhFor thousands of years Somalia was referred to as “RegioAroma ca”, because it was believed to be the home ofmyrrh, the tradi onal gi for baby Jesus. Myrrh was adried resin that was highly valued for its aroma c proper-

es and for medical purposes.

Somali peopleIt is es mated that there are between 15-17 million So-mali people (Soomaaliyeed) living in the Horn of Africa.About 8.7 million live in Somalia, 4.5 million in Ethiopia,1 million in Kenya and 1 million in Djibou . A signi -cant number of Somalis also live in the Middle East andabroad. Somalis are reported to have started appearing

in the region at around 1200 AD. The clan groupings ofthe Somali people are important social units, and clanmembership plays a central part in Somali culture andpoli cs. Clans are patrilineal and are divided into sub-clans and sub-sub-clans, resul ng in extended families.

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1 January: New YearBesides being the 1st day ofthe new year in the Gregori-an calendar, this date is alsoan o cial date of birth ofmany Somali people: due tothe lack of documenta on,they are usually assigned the

rst day of the year of theirbirth as their birthday.

1 May:Interna onal Labour DayPeople of Somalia celebrateinterna onal Labour Day bya ending parades and ar s -

c performances.

June 26: Independence Dayof SomalilandThe day is marked withspeeches fostering unity andpeace, hois ng of ag, sing -ing of na onal anthem andcolorful police parade.

July 1: Independence Dayof SomaliaThe date commemoratesthe union of the Trust Terri-

tory of Somalia (the formerItalian Somaliland) and theState of Somaliland (the for-mer Bri sh Somaliland) onJuly 1, 1960, which formedthe Somali Republic.

Moveable date in July:NeerooshNeeroosh celebrates the be-ginning of the solar year inSomalia and Somaliland. Thefes val is known interna on -ally as the Fes val of Fire, aslocals build huge bon res,splash water on each other,and dance to welcome thearrival of summer.

Moveable date in August:End of RamadanThis religious holiday marksof the end of Ramadan. Thisday is a celebra on of every -one’s e orts and sacri ces.The day is marked with cer-

emonies in mosques aroundthe region, the gathering offriends and families to enjoygreat feasts.

Moveable date in October:Feast of the Sacri ceThe holiday lasts for two orthree days and is held tocommemorate the willing-ness of Ibrahim to sacri cehis rst-born son to the Lord.In accordance with the story,locals slaughter a sheep,thus performing the sameact as Ibrahim. The sheep isthen cooked and used as abasis for a feast among fami-ly and friends.

Moveable date in Novem-ber: Day of AshuraThis holiday is a day ofmourning for the grandsonof the Prophet Muhammadwho died at the Ba le ofKarbala. The day is com-memorated by both Shi’aand Sunni Muslims. Muslimcommuni es come out intothe streets in their thou-

sands to show their mourn-ing.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS



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SOMALIA ECONOMY

Somalia is one of the world’s poorest countries, and many gains made duringthe years afer independence were lost in the destruc on brought about by civilwar in the 1990s. However, in 2000, individuals had begun to help rebuild ci esthrough independent businesses.

Basic EconomyAmong the factors hindering economic development is lack of adequate transporta on.The country has no railroads, only one airline, and few paved roads. Financial assistancefrom the United States helped improve Somalia’s major seaports and Mogadishu Inter -na onal Airport during the 1980s. Telecommunica on systems were largely destroyedduring the Civil War. However, in 1999, independent businessmen in some towns estab -lished satellite telephone systems and electricity, and Somali livestock traders and otherentrepreneurs conducted much of their business by telephone. Also banking networkswere established.

The basic monetary unit is the Somali shilling, with one hundred cents equal to one shil-ling. A large amount of the income received by Somalis comes from Somalis who havemigrated to other countries to nd work and send money and goods home to rela ves.

Land Tenure and PropertyIn precolonial mes, land claims were made by families and through bargaining amongclan members. During European coloniza on, Italians established planta ons in the riv -erine area and se led many poor Italian families on the land to raise crops. Since inde -

pendence, much of this land has been farmed by Somalis.

Somali nomads consider pastureland available to all, but if a family digs a water well, itis considered as their possession. Under Siad Barre’s socialist regime, there was an e ortto lease privately owned land to government coopera ves, but Somalis resented work -ing land they did not own. Some land was sold in urban areas, but grazing land con n -ued to be shared.

Commercial Ac vi es

In the colonial era, Italians developed banana, sugarcane, and citrus fruit planta ons insouthern Somalia. These again thrived in the late twen eth century with Italian assis -tance a er a decade of decline due to high government taxa on of exports in the 1980s.

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SOMALIA ECONOMY

Livestock and animal products make up a large por on of the goods produced in Somalia.

The country’s few natural resources, such as gypsum-anhydrite, quartz, uranium, iron ore,and possibly gold, have not been widely exploited.

Major IndustriesAlthough Somalia is not an industrialized na on, there are some industries, such as shand meat canneries, milk-processing plants, sugar re neries, leather-tanning factories,and pharmaceu cal and electronics factories. Many of these were built with the help offoreign na ons, such as the former Soviet Union. Some mining and petroleum explora onhas been done, with the help of Middle Eastern countries.

TradeTransporta on equipment, machinery, cement and other building materials, iron, andsteel are major imports of Somalia. Most of the imports come from Italy, Ethiopia andKenya, China, Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan, the United States, and Great Britain. Live -

stock is the country’s main export, especially camels, which are sold to Saudi Arabia andother Arab na ons. Animal hides also are exported. Bananas are the chief crop export.Co ee, co on, peanuts, mangoes, citrus fruits, and sugarcane are other important crops.Fishing and the export of frankincense and myrrh add to the economy.

Division of LaborMore than half of all Somalis are self-employed, as herders, farmers, or independentbusiness owners. In the ci es, some workers once held government jobs, and in 2000 agrowing percentage of workers had factory, planta on, or shing-industry jobs. Among

rural Somalis of the Saab clan-family, lower castes s ll provide certain types of goods andservices.

Unemployment rateThe unemployment rate in Somalia is di cult to es mate. According to the United Na -

ons report, the unemployment rate was around 54 per cent in 2012, with unemploy -ment among young people aged 14 to 29 up to 67 percent.



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DOS AND DONT’S

GREETINGS

DO:• Shake hands wheneveryou meet or bid farewell toa Somali.• Always o er your righthand; the le hand sym-

bolizes uncleanliness and isused for personal hygiene.• Rise to show respectwhenever an important per-son enters the room.• Be aware that it is custom-ary for Somali men to greeteach other with a hug anda kiss on the cheek. This is asign of friendship.

DO NOT:Use Somali gree ngs (spo-ken or gestured) unless youare sure how to use themcorrectly.

CONVERSATION

DO:• Open conversa ons withsmall talk.• Maintain eye contact.• Place your feet at on the

oor if you are si ng on achair, or fold them underyou if you are si ng on the

oor.• Demonstrate verbal skill.Verbal facility is highly val-ued in Somali society. Ifyou can recite a poem or atongue-twister, you will gain

respect for your skill.• Avoid arguments.• Bring photographs of yourfamily to show during con-versa ons.

DO NOT:• Show impa ence or undue

haste.• Ask direct or personalques ons, especially aboutfemale family members.• Cri cize a Somali directly.This will cause him to loseface and respect for you.• Patronize or talk down to aSomali, even if he does notspeak English very well.

• Do not move away from aSomali who stands “close”to you during conversa on.• It is customary for a Soma-li to stand about one footaway.

RELIGION

DO:• Understand and respectthe devo ons of Muslims.• Respect the requirementfor Muslims to fast fromsunrise to sunset during theholy month of Ramadan. In1993, Ramadan correspond-ed to a period from about22 February to 30 March.Following Ramadan is thefes val known as Eid AL Fitr,which is celebrated for threedays a er Ramadan ends.

DO NOT:Enter a mosque unless invit-ed. If invited, remove yourshoes before entering.• Pass in front of a prayerrug while a Muslim is inprayer.• Take photographs of a

Muslim while he is in prayeror stare at them.• Eat, smoke, or drink inpublic from sunrise to sun-set or o er food, beverages,or tobacco products to Mus-lims during the holy monthof Ramadan.

HOSPITALITY

DO:• If given a gi , give a giin return (at a later date) ofslightly lesser value.• Thank your host profuselyfor his hospitality and goodconversa on. Plan to returnthe hospitality.• Accompany your guestoutside the door or gatewhen he leaves.

DO NOT:

• Praise too much any pos-session of your host; he maygive it to you. If he does, youare expected to give some-

thing in return.• Appear anxious to end avisit.



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The clan groupings of the Somali people are important social units, and clan membership plays a central part in Somali culture and poli cs. Clans are patrilineal and are o en divid -ed into sub-clans, some mes with many sub-divisions.

PEOPLE IN SOMALIA

Unlike many African na ons, Somalia iscomposed of a single, homogeneous ethnicgroup.

Although Somalis may di er in nuances of

local lifestyle, they share a uniform lan-guage, religion, and culture, and trace theirheritage to a common ancestor.

In 1975, the most prominent governmentreforms regarding family law in a Muslimcountry were set in mo on in the SomaliDemocra c Republic, which put womenand men, including husbands and wives, oncompletely equal foo ng.

The 1975, Somali Family Law gave men and

women equal division of property betweenthe husband and wife upon divorce and theexclusive right to both to manage his orher personal property.

In 1991, people began leaving the countryto escape the hunger, rape, and death thathad become widespread.

Over one million people ed to neighboringcountries, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibou ,Yemen, and Burundi. Most stayed in largerefugee camps that were established tohouse the Somalis. Rese lement programshave enabled families to move to Europeand the United States.



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Gree ngs and Displays of RespectMany social norms are derived from Islamic tradi on, andthus may be similar to other Islamic countries. The com-mon way to greet someone is to say “salam alechem”(roughly translated as “God bless you”) and to shake theirhand. Due to Islamic tradi on, men and women do nottouch each other. Thus men shake the hands of other men,and women shake each other’s hands. When depar ng, thecommon phrase is “nabad gelyo” (“goodbye”). Respect is paidto the elders of the community. Elders are addressed as “aunt”or “uncle,” even if they are strangers.

GesturesSomalis use sweeping hand and arm gestures to drama ze speech. Manyideas are expressed through speci c hand gestures. Most of these gestures are performedby women:• A swi twist of the open hand means “nothing” or “no”.• Snapping ngers may mean “long ago” or and “so on”• A thumb under the chin indicates “fullness”.• It is impolite to point the sole of one’s foot or shoe at another person.• It is impolite to use the index nger to call somebody; that gesture is used for callingdogs.• The American “thumbs up” is considered obscene by the majority of Somalis.

Dining E que e

• Only use your right hand when ea ng.• Do not o er anything to another person with your le hand.• Sharing a meal and ea ng from the same plate is the best way to get to know someone.• Be sincere and show apprecia on.• Do not start ea ng before your host has started.• If you are hos ng a dinner, when you start ea ng, you show the guests they can start as

well.

Somali dining e que e is generally the same as those in the rest of the region, with other

in uences. For example, the Yemeni tradi on of having a khat (as qat is referred to in So-malia) chew in the a ernoon is common among Somali men.

IMPORTANT TIPS



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MarriageMarriages can either be arranged or be a result of personal choice. The common age ofmarriage is around 14 or 15 years old. Men who can a ord to do so, may have up to 4wives, as is customary in Islamic tradi on. However, not all wealthy men exercise this op-

on. In urban areas, a man with mul ple wives provides separate homes for his di erentfamilies. Whether these families interact or not depends on the preference of the individ-uals involved. In rural areas, it is more common for a man with more than one wife to havea single household, where the families care for the farm or livestock together.

Women wear white clothing during mourning period for her husband who passed away.Both men and women can remarry. Women o en seek a new marriage with a brother or acousin of her late husband, if she has many male children to support.

Gender RolesAs in many Islamic cultures, adult men and women are separated in most spheres of life.Although some women in the ci es hold jobs, the preferred role is for the husband towork and the wife to stay at home with the children. Female and male children par cipatein the same educa onal programs. Somalia has a literacy rate of 37,8%. The literacy rate ofwomen is 25,8%.

Family and Kinship StructureThere are several main clans in Somalia and many, many subclans. In certain regions ofthe country a single subclan will predominate, but as the Somalis are largely nomadic, itis more common for several subclans to live intermixed in a given area. Membership in aclan is determined by paternal lineage. Marriage between clans is common. When a wom-an marries a man of another clan, she becomes a member of that clan, though retainsconnec on with her family and its clan.

Extended FamiliesLiving with extended families is the norm. Young adults who move to the city to go toschool live with rela ves rather than alone. Similarly, people who do not marry tend to livewith their extended families. Divorce does occur, though proceedings must be ini ated by

the husband.

FAMILY IN SOMALIA



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CORPORATE CULTURE

Business A reMenMen is Somalia wear basically casual busi-ness wear on a daily basis. They wear dressshoes and never tennis shoes.

Wearing jeans is not as common, and gen-erally they are not worn. Casual slacks such

as khakis or other colored dress pants areworn every day.

Men leave their shirts always untucked,unless wearing a e. Their casual style is are ec on on their laid back a tudes.

Men are not to shake hands with men un-less they are close rela ves or family mem-

bers.

Women should wear conserva ve cloth andfabrics, skirts and dresses are favored.

Women do not wear anything too revealingand keep to the conserva ve colors.

Women must wear a headscarf at all mesin Somalia. It leaves only their face visible.Women wear at shoes or low heels.

Women are not to shake hands with menunless they are close rela ves or familymembers.

A normal business week inSomalia is Saturday throughWednesday.

Thursday and Friday are con-

sidered their weekend dayssuch as our Saturday andSunday.



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Conversa ons and Networking

The o cial language of Somalia is Somaliyet Arabic, English and Italian are also verycommon.

English is more common in the north of

Somalia and Italian is more common in thecentral and south of Somalia, whereas Ara-bic is spoken throughout the country.

You must be able to speak Arabic to grad-uate from high school in most parts of thecountry.

Generally, English and Italian are both

taught in private schools only in the eve-nings and some mes in the weekends.

The most common way of gree ng in So-mali is ASSALAMU ALAIKUM which simplymeans “God be with you”

Hugging and shaking hands with the oppo-site sex is not common.

Avoiding too much of eye contact with theopposite sex is considered respec ul.

Mee ngs, Presenta ons, andNego a on Tac cs

A normal business week in Somalia is Satur-day through Wednesday.

Depending on your career, as an occupant

in Somalia you may work on Thursday butabsolutely no one works on Fridays.

A normal business day in Somalia is from7:00 am to 7:00 pm..

Once again, the laid back a tude and life-style are re ected in daily life.

In general, mee ngs start within 30 min-utes of the scheduled me. This gives mefor anyone running late for whatever rea-sons.

In general, most Somali people prefer notto schedule mee ng on Fridays.

Every Friday is considered a holiday. Peo-ple visit friends and rela ves and as well asspend me with family.

CORPORATE CULTURE



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INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS

Status, Roles, and Pres ge

Children and elders share mutual respect. When ad -dressing another family member or friend, words for“aunt,” “uncle,” “brother,” “sister,” and “cousin” are useddepending on the person’s age rela ve to the speaker.

Men are usually the head of the household. Women

manage the nances and take care of the children. It isconsidered culturally unacceptable for a man to not beperceived as being in charge of his home. At the weddingceremony, the groom is told by the elder/sheik/father/

father-in-law that he is responsible for feeding his family and respec ng his wife.

Most women in Somalia now work outside the home, due to increasing nancial hard -ships primarily caused by war and resul ng in a on. In Somalia, working women tendto have more exibility and community support than in the Western countries and main -

taining a household and obtaining childcare is not as stressful. In the Western countries,it is also common for women to work outside the home. It can be di cult for women tobalance homemaking and childcare responsibili es without the type of support availablein Somalia. Because men tradi onally don’t contribute to caring for children and house -work, excess strain on the rela onship can lead to divorce.

The civil war is based on interclan and interfac onal con icts. When addressing Somaliculture, it is considered disrespec ul to refer to “clans” or “tribes.” It is a very sensi veissue that is best avoided when in the Western countries, and some in the communitywill deny their existence. Tribes were names originally given in order to place families andlocate people, but now they reinforce prejudices produced by the civil war.

Family is extremely important in the Somali community. The focus of Somali culture ison the family; family is more important than the individual in all aspects of life. Soma-lis will live with their parents un l they get married. In mes of sickness or marriage,all resources are pooled and it is understood that whatever you have is not only yours.Somalis who have immigrated abroad will send money back to their families and evento close friends and neighbors.

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IN EVERYDAY SITUATIONS

Names, NamingSomali names have three parts. The rst name is the given name, which is speci c tothe individual. The second name is the name of the child’s father, and the third name isthe name of the child’s paternal grandfather. Thus siblings, both male and female, willshare the same second and third names. Women, when they marry, donot change their names. By keeping the name of their fatherand grandfather, they are, in e ect, maintaining their a li -a on with their clan of birth.

General E que eThe right hand is considered the clean and po-lite hand to use for daily tasks such as ea ng,wri ng, and gree ng people. If a child beginsto show le -handed preference, the parentswill ac vely try to train him or her to use theright hand. Thus le -handedness is very un-common in Somalia.

As proscribed by Moslem tradi on, marriedwomen are expected to cover their bodiesincluding their hair. In Somalia, some Somaliwomen wear veils to cover their faces, but fewdo in the West as they nd this a di cult customto adhere to in Western society. Pants are not a gen-

erally accepted form of a re for women, but may beworn under a skirt.

The tradi onal women’s dress is called a hejab, and the tradi onalclothing for a man is called a maawis. The snug- ng hat that men wear is a qofe.

“ASSALAM ALAIKUM” - GOD BE WITH YOU



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PIRATES OF SOMALIA

1. They Have a Robin Hood Complex: ManySomali pirates see themselves as good guys.2. Nobody Brings Home the Bacon Like a

Pirate : According to some es mates, piratesin 2008 pulled in as much as $150 million,indica ng that piracy is now Somalia’s big -gest industry.3. Being a Pirate Is Easy : Piracy is so simplethat anyone can do it. All you need is a gun,an aluminum ladder and a motorboat.4. The Law Can’t Touch Them : everybodyknows piracy is wrong, but is it illegal? Thetruth is that the places where pirates oper-ate are actually lawless.5. Pirates Rarely Kill People and also preferto keep their prisoners in good health.6. Pirates Have Friends in High Places: Thebiggest gangs have informants in Mombasa,the major port in the region, where shipshave to le paperwork sta ng what they’re

carrying and where they’re going.7. Bigger Ships Mean Bigger Paychecks :Somali pirates are ge ng bolder.

8. Sailors Are Figh ng Back, it is working.9. Pirates Hurt Somalia the Most:The biggest vic ms of Somali piracy are the

Somalis themselves. Nearly 4 million peo -ple there (half the popula on) depend onfood dona ons to survive. But pirate a ackson food ships have made it di cult for theUnited Na ons to keep sending provisions.10. It May Be Time for Desperate Mea-sures: Even with the world’s navies rushingto protect East African shipping, the sheersize of the ocean and the huge numbers ofships involved mean warships are rarely inthe right place at the right me. The Unit -ed Na ons recently passed a resolu onallowing an invasion, but the United Statesmilitary has put the brakes on par cipa ngin any opera on. Perhaps they are hesitantbecause of their last unsuccessful experi -ence sending troops to Somalia in 1993.

And yet, it is becoming more and moreclear that without major, interna onal in -terven on, piracy will con nue to grow.

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT SOMALI PIRATES



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Approximately 6.5 million Somali girls and women have undergone female genital mu -la on/cu ng (FGM/C), otherwise known as female circumcision (according to a report byUNICEF).

FEMALE CIRCUMCISION

Although support for the prac ce iswaning, the report indicates that 98% ofSomali women between 15 and 49 havebeen circumcised - the highest per capitapercentage in the world.

Lots of parents believe that this tradi onprotects the chas ty of their daughters.Others are convinced that this will ensurethat girls remain virgins un l they aremarried.

Sheikh Abubakar Moalim Ibrahim, a clericin Mogadishu, said female circumcision isundesirable and neither a religious dutynor an obliga on.

“Female circumcision is neither a favour -able duty nor a sunnah and the prophetreprimanded women who performed thisprac ce and directed them to only prac -

ce ishmam,” he told Sabahi.

Ishmam refers to “symbolic circumcision”,a form of cu ng to draw blood, but withno removal of ssue and no permanentaltera on of the external genitalia.

While symbolic circumcision is s ll consid -ered a form of FGM/C, it is less invasiveand has been proposed in some places asan alterna ve to more severe forms.



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