It’s not “unthinkable” in Khalid Adem’s culture, and since it is justified by some Islamic religious authorities, you should expect to see more stories like this in the U.S. in the future. “Dad stands trial over daughter’s mutilation,” by Lateef Mungin in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, with thanks to Glenn:
A father stands accused of the unthinkable: brutally cutting his daughter’s genitals.
The girl was only 2.
Monday, activists from all over the world will be focused on a Gwinnett County courtroom as Khalid Adem, accused of cruelty to a child and aggravated battery for allegedly circumcising his daughter, goes on trial.
Adem, 30, was charged with aggravated battery and cruelty to children more than three years ago and, if convicted, could face 40 years in prison. He was born in Ethiopia, where circumcision is a common procedure for young girls.
Adem’s trial may be a landmark case for health and human rights activists fighting against the African custom they call genital mutilation. But for those close to the victim, this trial is about vindication and healing for a little girl who was forced to endure unbearable pain.
“When I saw that child I saw myself. I could see the pain in her eyes,” said Soraya Mire, a filmmaker and activist who was circumcised when she was 13 in Somalia. Mire is known for her 1994 documentary “Fire Eyes” in which she chronicled her struggles after having the procedure.
Mire, who now lives in Los Angeles, was asked by Gwinnett authorities to counsel the victim in 2003 when it was discovered that she had been circumcised.
“She hugged me, and I just burst into tears,” Mire said. “Since that day, I’ve been obsessed with finding out who did this to that child.”
Police say Adem circumcised his daughter with scissors in his Duluth apartment, while someone else held the girl’s legs.
Authorities said the circumcision occurred sometime in 2001 but the mother didn’t discover it until two years later. The mother told police she learned about it while arguing with Adem about female circumcision. The mother told police that she told Adem she didn’t want that to happen to their daughter, but Adem implied the circumcision had already occurred.
The mother went to a doctor who confirmed that the girl had been circumcised. The girl then told Gwinnett authorities that her father had done it. He was arrested in March 2003.