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Leonard Lopate said that, in his view, the essential part of religion is to say that we know and belong and you don't (paraphrase). How about religion is the communal, organized response of man to God.

It was interesting to listen to a Marxist thinker, haven't heard one in a while. And she even got Leonard to defend the Jewish people a little.

There are many forms of male and female circumcision and all can be equally damaging and lead to life -long physical sexual an emotional problems. Sometimes female circumcision involves the removal of the skin covering the clitoris and at others times it involves the removal of the clitoris and the inner and outer labia. Sometimes male circumcision involves the patial removal of the foreskin and in subincision the penis is split and then skinned. All genital mutilations of children are human rights abuses and there is no point in saying one is worse than the other as both can and do lead to death.

Thank you Dr. Saadawi for an enlightening discussion. One comment about Israel. You don't seem to be aware that Israel was set up as a Jewish state because Judaism is a land-based religion. The land of Israel is sacred to observant Jews. Western colonialism may be strategic in a neo-conservative rationale for Israel, but the core meaning of the Jewish state derives from the Torah, and from the ashes of the Holocaust.

All really interesting guests! But Dr. El Saadawi was really amazing. I was so pleased to have heard her and will now look for her books. I agree with her totally that our three monotheistic (single sky god) religions have sustained patriarchal societies, indeed, aided the world's small elites to retain power and prevent much of the world from achieving any sort of equality or reasonable standard of living even when the means to produce enough for everyone is now possible.

Wow, I have read many of Dr. Nawal El Saadawi's writings in the past, but perhaps she is one of those people who is much better in writing! What a disappointment! Several of her arguments and absolutist statements on your program defy logic; perhaps it is a language barrier? I hope so! Overall a great show today, Leonard!

PLEASE stop saying "female circumcision" for female genital mutilation. Most people hear circumcision and think of a relatively painless snip of a baby boy's foreskin. The analogy to female "circumcision" would be to take a young boy, hold him down, gouge out his penis, leaving only a flap for urine and seamen to pass through, probably painfully. Think of that gruesome image whenever you are tempted to say "female circumcision" for female genital mutilation. And correct others who misspeak. If we can't change the words for this barbaric act, how can we change the practice?

Male and female circumcision are not of the same magnitude. Yet the part of the skin and ligament that gets chopped off is a part that has a lot of sensitivity. And an exposed tip gets desensitized.

I heard on WBAI an US man that got circumcised at 25 and the post-op was really painful and from then on he lost about half of the sexual sensitivity / pleasure for ever.

Probably circumcision made some sense when water for washing was not available, but if you just need use daily the shower/tub/bidet.

Can you please ask your guest about the Coptic human rights situation in Egypt. I have heard that many Coptic girls are kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam.

What is the doctor's view of Jehovah's Witnesses, who, regardless of what nation they live in, live by the Bible's command to be "separate from the world" and its religio-political affairs?

this woman is ahead of her time!

Why do people keep calling excision a female circumcision ? It is not the skin around the clitoris that is removed, it is the whole area ! How would men like to have the top of their penis all taken off ?

^

that is true on a psychological level (i might have been pretty hesitant to get circumcised at 13....hehe)....but these two procedures are simply NOT of the same order of magnitude (not even close)...no matter what age the child is for either operation.

There is probably a big difference between circumcising a boy at infancy and at 13, as they do in Muslim countries.

female and male circumcision are not at all equivalent.

the male equivalent of female circumcision would be chopping off the top inch or more of the penis...not simply removing the foreskin.

female circumcision essentially destroys all female pleasure in sex and has other serious medical consequences.....none of this applies to male circumcision.

i am not sure why this doctor is trying to make these two things seem even similar....but the rest of her ideas sound very powerful and interesting.

The Christian "society" in America proposes no sex before marriage... and there is a rather disproportionate amount of incest in this community.

The circumcision studies that you are referencing are applicable only to heterosexual men in some countries in Africa.

This goes against everything the media speaks about but...
as an Israeli I can tell that on paper and in the court room Israeli Jewish women have all these great rights, but in the day-to-day living in Israel, the country's society is still extremely sexist and chauvinistic- you could say, in some pockets, rivaling that of the Arab world.

I wish we could move beyond this label "Arab world" and speak about the status of women all over - once and for all. It's as though the label "Arab" makes us feel better about ourselves and not see the work that still needs to get done elsewhere or "non-Arab" places.

Also, for those who cling to the label Arab - just take a look at the status of Jewish ultra-orthodox women [I'm talking 'Me'ah Shearim'] - it ain't pretty, in fact it aint - 2009 yet over there.

can Dr. El Saadawi speak about the effects of war on women's rights.