Several years ago, when I heard about Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, I thought I had been mistaken. The idea that such an atrocity taking place in modern times could not be reconciled with my naive thinking at the time. After reading Alice Walker’s book, Possessing the Secret of Joy, I realized this hideous act toward women was alive and well in the third world countries of Africa practiced among Muslims and some Christians alike. What I could not wrap my head around was the silence from the western world against this barbarism. In addition, as I learned more about the various layers of intrusiveness in FGM, I became even more disturbed by excuses made in the name of religion and culture.

A couple of decades ago, a friend in the mental health field told me a startling but unsubstantiated piece of information. In the 1980s, long before FGM came to light in the Western world, she heard from other colleagues that a few American physicians in a large metropolis performed FGM on the daughters of wealthy Middle Easterners willing to pay the price. Although she was adamant her sources were reliable, I had difficulty believing this. Now, I think, perhaps there was some truth to her story. We will never really know. What we recognize, however, is this hideous action, a crime against humanity, is being performed right beneath our noses in the Midwest and, possibly, other parts of the U.S. If it is not being activated on U.S. soil itself, American girls are being sent away for “vacation cutting.” These young girls are sent home to countries which turn a blind eye toward this primitive ritual. Even though Egypt is trying to curtail the practice, it is included among these countries having over 90 percent of women who undergo FGM.

According to Equality Now:

The federal law addressing FGM in the U.S.: 18 U.S. Code § 116 ‘Female Genital Mutilation’ makes it illegal to:

• Perform FGM in the U.S.

• Knowingly transport a girl out of the U.S. for the purpose of inflicting FGM.

This law began in 1996 regarding the performance of FGM in the U.S., but it was not until the last couple of years the transportation action that is taking your daughter for “vacation cutting” was criminalized.

As an added protection, under half of the states have laws criminalizing this practice. Recently, Maine’s state representatives, mainly Democrats, narrowly defeated a bill to join these other states. The Portland Press Herald reports:

The debate over the bill, L.D. 745, was not whether the practice happens worldwide but rather whether it is occurring in Maine, particularly inside the state’s growing communities of African immigrants.

“I do not believe that it is happening in the state of Maine. I truly do not believe that,” said Rep. Lois Galgay Reckitt, D-South Portland. “And I believe if it was happening, it would be prosecuted vigorously by the federal (laws) or by the abuse statutes in this state.”

But Rep. Heather Sirocki, R-Scarborough, said that since introducing the bill she has heard from numerous people in Maine -– including some in the medical field –- with personal stories about seeing female genital mutilation.

Where is the outrage from the so-called warriors of social justice? Why are the feminists not up in arms with this misogynistic practice being performed, primarily, by women for men on children? Is this not the greatest form of child abuse? Where is the press? What does it matter if it is cultural or religious? For those who liken this to male circumcision, I challenge you: How many people die from male circumcision? Do men become maimed or lose their ability to experience pleasure? Some might challenge this last point, but for the most part, this is a closed argument. There is no comparison.

Now we have the case of the physician in Michigan. The defense is pulling together a star-studded team of lawyers. According to Kristina Arriaga, who wrote an article, “Cutting Young Girls Isn’t Religious Freedom,” in the August 24 Wall Street Journal:

The physician’s lawyers announced they will craft a religious-freedom defense. And they may be astute enough to get away with it. The all-star team includes constitutional law scholar and O.J. Simpson lawyer Alan Dershowitz, along with Mayer Morganroth who represented assisted-suicide champion Dr. Jack Kevorkian for more than 15 years. They are funded by an international Muslim organization called Dawat-e-Hadiyah.

We know in our great country that everyone is entitled to a legal defense, but does someone as prominent as Dershowitz need to defend such an outrageous defendant, a physician, who defies her own oath of “no harm?” Is his love of the law so great nothing else matters? Perhaps, but Ms. Arriaga goes on to report the follies of this defense:

The physician’s lawyers have not only put these girls at even greater risk, they have tainted the religious freedom of all Americans with their specious arguments.

Many of us could not agree more with Ms. Arriaga’s arguments. This sets an extremely dangerous precedent. Will this practice allow Sharia law to supersede U.S. laws in the name of religious freedom? Will more doctors defiantly and openly practice this barbarism in the name of culture and religion? Will honor killings be exonerated under the religious-freedom act? This may sound dramatic, but is it? With the rapid pace of our laws and history being dismantled in the name of justice and diversity, who knows what is next.

Thankfully we have people like Ayaan Hirsi Ali who with her foundation are fighting against radical Islam’s stealth takeover of our land in the name of culture and religion. As we know, however, the Left pushes back ferociously with name-calling and shutting down free speech. They did this a few years back when they branded Ms. Ali with some ism or phobia. Consequently, her invitation to speak at Brandeis University’s commencement was rescinded.

We know the Left and radical Islam make strange bedfellows, but they do so when necessary to further their cause. FGM is child abuse at its extreme and a crime against all of humanity. This practice is about as misogynistic as one can get. Yet, the feminists and MSM are too busy defiling Donald Trump and lamenting the defeat of Hillary Clinton, a woman whom they admire as strong, independent, and smart. Their blind loyalty ensues as she continues to exhibit poor sportsmanship around her election loss and remains married to someone who has humiliated her for decades. Perhaps, it is not a coincidence the Ladies of the Left selectively ignore misogyny.

No matter what the Left does, we on the right must remain apprised and vigilant. We can help challenge such atrocities as FGM through pressure on our state representatives, education and the pocketbook. Let us hope Dershowitz and his team lose their case. The people will have spoken, and the triumph will not be just for U.S law but for the innocent who can rest a little easier going forward.

The author is using a pen name for reasons she explains here