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[23 November 2006] - Egypt's top Muslim clerics have attempted to distance Islam from the practice of female genital mutilation, saying the religion does not need it. The head of the al-Azhar mosque, Sunni Islam's top authority, told a meeting in Cairo the practice, also known as female circumcision, was not a "must". And Egypt's top official cleric, Ali Gomaa, said the Prophet Mohammad had not circumcised his daughters. Female genital mutilation is widespread in parts of Africa and the Middle East. The practice, which typically involves surgically removing the clitoris of a young girl, has been criticised as an infringement on the rights of women and a threat to their health. Parents who support the practice argue that it helps prevent promiscuous behaviour in their daughters. Genital mutilation or female circumcision often robs women of sensitivity in their sexual organs. The conference on the subject in Cairo was organised by a German human rights group, Target, and attracted Islamic clerics from across the world. 'Doctors confuse us' Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the top scholar at Cairo's al-Azhar mosque, told the conference: "From a religious point of view, I don't find anything that says that circumcision is a must [for women]." "In Islam, circumcision is for men only," the Associated Press news agency quoted him as saying. However, Mr Tantawi said, doctors should ultimately decide whether the practice was necessary or correct. Ali Gomaa, Egypt's top official Islamic scholar, or grand mufti, told the gathering no examples of the practice could be found in the Prophet Muhammad's life. "The Prophet Muhammad didn't circumcise his [four] daughters," he said. Another leading cleric, Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, said that Islam did not require the practice but some clerics felt it was allowed. He too placed the onus on doctors to clarify the issue. "Doctors confuse us, as some are with and some are against, the final say should be for them," Mr Qaradawi told AP. Widespread practice Female genital mutilation is widespread in Egypt, Yemen, Oman and parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It is relatively unknown in most other parts of the Muslim world, including south and south-east Asia, North Africa and Saudi Arabia. The practice has been traced to Pharaonic times, pre-dating Islam. Some Christian and animist groups in Africa also practice female genital mutilation. Some parents who back the practice cite Muslim scholars and doctors who claim it is necessary or religiously desirable to remove the clitoris of young girls. Women's groups in Egypt have been campaigning against it for years, but they know that the fight to eradicate it will take many more, reports the BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo. She says many Egyptian families still circumcise their daughters, even though this is not the first time top Muslim clerics have spoken out against the practice. Further information