Answer question 1 and 2.

N THE n over 28 countries, mostly North African na- tions, female circumcision-or "female genital mutilation" as its critics call it-is generally ac- cepted. Female circumcision is normally performed when a girl is between 7 and 12 years old. It involves cutting away most of the girl's external genitalia in- cluding the clitoris and labia. In most countries, the procedure is done by a female "practitioner" who uses a small knife or razor blade but no anesthe- sia. A young girl will often resist so several women must hold her down while the practitioner works. The women who perform circumcisions charge for their services and see their work as a business. It is estimated that in countries where the practice is widely accepted, the annual fees collected by all the businesses that provide circumcision services total tens of millions of dollars. Mothers in these countries feel they must have their daughters circumcised because otherwise no "good" man will marry them. Many believe that cir- cumcision controls a woman's sexual desires, and cleanses her spiritually so that others can eat what she cooks. Although the practice is not mentioned in the Koran, many North African Muslims believe that female circumcision is required by certain say- ings they attribute to Mohammad, the founder of Islam. However, Muslim scholars dispute both the authenticity and the interpretation of these sayings. Many Americans and Europeans feel strongly that female genital mutilation is an immoral assault on a helpless and unwilling girl, an assault that pro- vides her no medical benefit, risks serious infection, and permanently deprives her of the ability to feel sexual pleasure. They have pressured foreign govern- ments to outlaw the practice and to crack down on the women who make a business of it because they are violating the human rights of thousands of girls. Practitioners claim that Westerners who want to prohibit female circumcision are trying to impose their own morality on others. A Somali practitioner said: "This is a great offence and a great interfer- ence with our lives and our lifestyle. For too long Europeans have come into our countries and told us how to live our lives and how to behave and we be- lieve that is totally unacceptable. We will not allow foreigners to tell us how to behave or put our busi- nesses at risk any longer. In order for our daugh- ters to be free they must have this procedure. It is their right as women and our obligation as adults to make them into the best young women we can. Circumcision is a fundamental part of becoming a young woman and we will not deny them that be- cause of some misplaced sense of morality from foreigners." Phillip Waites, a doctor and medical analyst for a news service noted, "The core issue here is whether or not Europeans have the right to step into another country and demand that they change their traditions and culture." Remarking on the many practitioners for whom female circumcision is a business, he said: "There aren't a whole lot of in Somalia. There really isn't a whole lot of anything in Somalia frankly, and these women have a spe- cialty that not only garners them a good living but also gives them a certain status in the country that they might not otherwise have." E D G E 1. Is the business of providing female cir- cumcision services morally wrong? Why? If a practitioner asks for a small busi- ness loan from a Western "micro-finance lender" like www.Kiva.org would it be wrong for the lender to refuse? Would it be wrong for the lender to agree? Explain. 2. Is it wrong for Westerners to pressure North African governments to prevent practitio- ners from doing female circumcisions? 3. Does this case support ethical relativism or does it suggest that there are certain things that are wrong no matter what, or neither of these positions