Hatem Elhagaly (AKA "Hatem Al Haj"), a medical doctor and fellow at the American Elhagely Academy of Pediatrics, ignores FGM's detrimental effects on women's health, and instead argues that it is 'an honor' for women. He justifies this position by referring repeatedly to the words of classical Islamic scholars from the four schools of mainstream Sunni Islamic thought, all of which attest to FGM's legitimacy under Islam. He also refers to the words of the Prophet Muhammad himself, who reportedly counselled people in his day on how to perform FGM in a way that would be "more beautiful to behold and better for [the woman's] husband." Tha Mayo Clinic removed Dr. Elhagaly. They sent this email:
From: Public Affairs Sent: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 2:16 PM Subject: RE: Dr. Hatem Elhagaly Dr. Elhagaly is no longer employed or caring for patients at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. We are working with his patients to transition their care to another physician. Because this is a personnel issue, we cannot comment further on Dr. Elhagaly's employment status. Female circumcision in children, referred to as female genital mutilation in U.S. legal statutes, is a felony-level child abuse crime. Mayo Clinic strongly opposes the procedure and it has never been performed at any Mayo Clinic facility. Thank you for visiting Medicine Men. Link freely but please credit original content.
