I understand why Muslim women would do the surgery. I understand that they are justifiably afraid for their lives if they don't. I also understand that it would be more than difficult to leave their culture behind. But Trebuchet is right. Nothing is going to change as long as people keep feeding into the status quo.

It wasn't easy for slaves to leave everything and everyone they knew to travel on the Underground Railroad to Canada being helped only by strangers, but they did know their choice was to risk death and escape or stay and continuing being a slave. Muslim women are now faced with a similiar choice.

Look at the Civil Rights Movement in American History. Innocent men and women were beaten, raped, sprayed with fire hoses, attacked by police dogs, tortured, and lynched because they wouldn't pretend to be okay with sitting in the back of bus or drinking from segregated drinking fountains or sending their children to inferior schools. And because they wouldn't sit back and pretend that they were okay with the status quo, because they wouldn't let their fear of punishment stop them for standing up for themselves and their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, etc. we now have a black man running for president.

It is a horrible thing that Muslim women are forced to choose between having this surgery or leaving everything they know, but if they don't choose to fight now they are guaranteeing that their daughters will have to make the same choice later. The circle of violence will continue as long as women continue to allow themselves to be victims.