Butchery and Civilisation

As the world looks on in horror at recent events in Nairobi, the fundamentalist group Al-Shabab is being afforded the publicity which is so vital to the cause of any terrorist group. The West must resist the temptation to identify such groups with the vast majority of muslims elsewhere. My limited understanding of Islam informs me that it is not a faith of violence. Not for one second would I condone the despicable murders which have been committed since Saturday. What do we know about this latest group to come to prominence? For one thing, they have their roots in Somalia. When he was covering the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1930 for the Daily Mail, Evelyn Waugh reported with great insight about the political situation in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and Somaliland (Somalia). His books Black Mischief, Waugh in Abyssinia and Remote People are all well worth a read if only to gain an understanding of the history of that part of the world. In 1936, Haile Sellasie complained to the United Nations about the use of chemical weapons by the invading Italians. As we have seen recently in Syria, history always seems able to repeat itself despite our opportunities to learn from it. Now as then, Somalia was a very poor country with a track record of chaotic attempts at government. It is only recently that any form of tenuous government has returned following years of anarchy. As ever in such circumstances, the extremists have proliferated and the country has become synonymous with piracy and terrorism. It is all too easy to cast our judgement on Somalia but we do so at our peril. I was today lucky enough to talk at length with a leading campaigner against child mutilation. Not in Somalia though although it does indeed go on in that country too. The genital mutilation of young girls continues in the UK by proponents of a variety of faiths. In its worst form it falls little short of butchery. In any form it constitutes assault and contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. It was interesting to learn that while female genital mutilation has become a relatively well known subject, the male equivalent is rather less so. The circumcision of baby boys continues unabated. Even in the Westernised, civilised United Kingdom, baby boys still die as a result following extreme blood loss (a single nappy can absorb enough blood for the child to die without anyone noticing). Because of the clear illegality of these practices, the perpetrators often operate behind closed doors using unsterilised instruments with little or no thought for the consequences of their actions. The research in this area has identified one very interesting fact. Female genital mutilation only takes place in cultures where male circumcision is already the norm. The inference is clear. If it is deemed good enough for boys, the girls might as well go through the same. As I write, only two countries have chosen not to sign up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child. One is Somalia and the other is the USA. It’s surprising how much they have in common when you stop to consider their apparently conflicting ideologies. As long as genital mutilation continues in the UK, we are no better than they are though. In the UK today, a parent can strike their child really hard and it is ok provided they don’t leave any marks which will evidence the fact. In a sense, this crazy legal loop-hole is symbolic of the hypocrisy which seems to transcend our culture. We love to take the moral high ground but all too often have little cause to do so. While the events in Nairobi have rightly been condemned, we remain a long way from perfection in this green and pleasant land. I leave you with a prescient quotation of Haile Sellasie. “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph”.