Second Egyptian girl dies during circumcision

A 13-year-old Egyptian girl has died during an illegal operation to mutilate her genitalia, the second such case in two months, local media reported on Saturday.

Karima Rahim Massoud died as the result of problems with the anesthesia in the Nile Delta village of Gharbiya, Al-Masri Al-Yom daily said.

Her death was discovered after her father sought a death certificate from another doctor.

The medical practice where the operation took place has been closed, and the doctor is being interrogated, the newspaper added.

Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, is a practice that dates back to pharaonic times in Egypt. It is widely practiced from Senegal in West Africa to Somalia on the east coast, and from Egypt in the north to Tanzania in the south.

The practice, which affects both Muslim and Christian women in Egypt, was banned in 1997 but doctors were allowed to operate "in exceptional cases."

In June, following the death of 12-year-old Bedur Ahmed Shaker, Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali issued a decree banning every doctor and member of the medical profession from performing the procedure.

The ban must still be translated into law and could face a tough debate in parliament, but is likely to be passed.

A government survey in 2000 said the practice was carried out on 97 percent of the country's women aged between 15 and 45 years of age. And a more recent study by Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population found that half of all girls between the age of 10-18 years have been circumcised.

After the 1997 ban many women simply went to underground clinics for the operation.

Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, has been an active campaigner against the procedure, calling it "one of the most feared attacks against women" and calling for the battle against it to be a "national priority".

Religious leaders have also started to speak out against the practice, which many Egyptians believe is a duty under Islam and Christianity.

Chief mufti Ali Gomaa declared female circumcision forbidden under Islam, while the sheikh of Al-Azhar University, the top Sunni Muslim authority, Muhammed Sayyed Tantawi and Coptic Patriarch Chenouda III also declared it had "no foundation in the religious texts" of either Islam or Christianity.

Female genital mutilation usually involves the removal of the clitoris and other parts of female genitalia. Many parents, especially in rural villages, believe they are helping their daughters by protecting their virginity before marriage.

The United Nations describes female genital mutilation as a practice with many adverse physical and psychological impacts and with no demonstrated medical benefits.