Fanado is a tradition practiced among some ethnic groups to initiate a girl into adulthood. In this ritual, a girl learns to manage her home and take care of her husband, among other life skills. However, in this same ceremony, female circumcision, or genital mutilation, is performed. Sadly, the frequent improper technique involves unsterilized blades and lack of medical support, thereby causing infection, serious psychological consequences or even death. This practice has neither a biblical basis nor Quranic support.
My heart is troubled as I consider how parents can do this to their daughters. Why does this practice still persist? As I conducted preliminary research, I realized that a deeper study of the culture was necessary to understand the reasons.
I discovered that in the minds of the people, the practice of Fanado is carried out to keep a girl pure until she gets married and has a family. If she does not undergo the ceremony, she is doomed to be considered filthy, remain unmarried and childless, and suffer from the prejudice of others. In some cases, the offender is expelled from her community. Which father wants this for his daughter?

Fear then further grips the families, and this is where the devil most strongly imprisons people. Parents take their daughters—sometimes even babies—to the Fanado, fearing the consequences thrust upon their daughters if the ritual is not performed. Fear paralyzes reason; it impels people to do what they hear without checking the veracity of a cultural practice. They only believe it is so because it has always been so.

Fanado is the devil’s misrepresentation of biblical circumcision, making people suffer while believing they are doing God’s will. To combat this sinister practice, education is paramount. Religious education takes people out of this prison of thought; it delivers women out of this practice. But this is an arduous task, a little ant’s work, individual and slow. Cultural norms are simply too powerful to do this on a larger scale at this time.

Yes, Jesus can free anyone from fear. He brings us into the light of understanding, offers a fuller life and freely gives us peace. They must be introduced to the One who is able to take away fear and give the peace that passes all understanding.

Please pray for us and the great work we have set out to do. We must present Jesus to these women and men and reveal how He frees them from evil practices.

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