Female genital mutilation is a practice deeply rooted in the cultural beliefs of many Africans and certain groups around the world. Furthermore, like any other culture, they will cling even more strongly to their ancient traditions when their beliefs are challenged by people from an outside culture. When a person from another country comes to a tribe to essentially tell them that one of their most fundamental traditions is wrong, trouble usually ensues. This is mainly because, from the African perspective, the outsider does not understand the beliefs of the tribe and therefore has no valid privilege to tell the tribe what it should or should not do. This way, even if there are a few select men and women who support the outsider's point of view, they run the risk of being ridiculed or even banished by their peers and will not speak out to condemn their centuries-old practice . To further explain the seriousness of this situation, one must understand that in many villages, if a woman is not circumcised, then she is, in the words of Rogaia Abusharaf, "generally considered promiscuous, a man-hunter ". In other words, “excision is considered an essential aspect of a woman’s identity.” Thus, reducing the prevalence of female circumcision is a very complex process that involves a profound change in the social beliefs of a culture. I agree with Abusharaf when she states “without a deep commitment from these cultures to end FGM, externally imposed eradication efforts are doomed to failure” (Abusharaf). Now the question is how to initiate these changes within a culture. who practice female excision as easily as breathing. Cutting is not something they openly discuss among themselves, but is essentially seen as a necessary tradition. This is the norm middle of paper......understand that any subsequent death or illness a woman may get is most likely due to the procedure. Together we can help the movement to end FGM and soon no woman or child will have to endure the unnecessary torture and humiliation associated with this procedure. Works Cited Abusharaf, Rogaia Mustafa. “Unmasking tradition. » Science. 38.2(1998):22. Electronic library. Web.October 11, 2011.Ben-Ari, Nirit. “Change traditions to protect women.” Africa Recovery. Afrique Relance, May 2003. Web. December 4, 2011. “Female Genital Mutilation – A Guide to Global Laws and Policies [Part 2 of 20].” Contemporary Women's Issues Database. January 1, 2000: 1+. Electronic library. Internet. October 11, 2011. Rosenberg, Tina. "Editorial observer; Mutilation of African girls: laws not applied, practices unchanged." The New York Times. The New York Times, July 5, 2004. Web. December 4 2011.