Illusion of Virginity

In France, people are debating over Islam and Virginity. They focus on the virginity repair operation provided by private clinics for a price of around $3000 per one semicircular cut plus 10 dissolving stitches. Young Muslim girls living in Europe are customers of the hymenoplasty service to restor their hymen before the wedding night. This “illusion of virginity” is important for the girls, who want to be married in a Muslim tradition, because Muslim men have a traditional expectation of “breaking the bride’s hymen” at first intercourse of the wedding night. After one such operation, a girl said that virginity is more important to her than life. To be married, Muslim girl has to go to the extreme of getting a “Certificates of Virginity” to proof to friends and families, especially the groom’s family. When done properly by a qualified cosmetic surgeons, hymen replacement cannot be detected and produce the expected vaginal bleeding on the wedding night. This effort by Muslim girls to recapture their virginity is sociological significant in the modern life of big cities, not only in Europe and North America, but also in other Islamic mediteranean countries where girls have freedom of movement and sexal encounter at early ages. But the marriage rituals are based on an archaic tradition of treating the female body (not the male body) as sexual object. Muslim societies do not expect the men to be a “virgin” on Wedding day. This kind of debate is long overdued, not just in France, but a in all Muslim states that have officially opted for a democratic, egalitarian society. There is a contradiction between what the states advocate in the economic and social field at the various United Nations gatherings, and the decisions made in the sexual- rights and reproductive health. The demand for Muslim women to put on veil or to be a virgin on the wedding night represents the denial of the economic dimension and human right to self-determination of the women. Right now there are several court cases in France on this issue of virginity repair operation. Several marriages had be annulled after the groom found out that the bride went through hymenoplasty operation. The debate in the French Parliament touches on subjects such as the ground for dissolution of a marriage, equality of the sexes, and the intrusion of religion into modern daily life. Muslim women have to liberate themselves from the “Virginity Myth” first before they could think of achieving the United Nations Millennium development goal of gender equality.

Filed under Gender Issues, United Nations |