Foreword / Mercy Amba Oduyoye
The controversy
What is female circumcision?
What is at stake?
The centrality of religion
Organization of the book
Religion and the social behavior of Kenyans
The social structure of Kenyan communities
The social status of women
Female circumcision in Kenya: an overview
Religion and the social behavior
Religions in Kenya
The debate over female circumcision
The debate over terminology
Reasons for female circumcision
The functioning of patriarchal systems
Women's sexuality and female circumcision
Opposition to female circumcision
The insider/outsider conflict
Strategies to combat female circumcision
Sexuality, gender, and religion in Kenya
Gender and sexuality
The control of sexuality
Religion and female sexuality
Summary
Religion and female circumcision
The religious origins of female circumcision
How religion sanctions female circumcision
How indigenous beliefs determine female circumcision
Islam and female circumcision
Christianity and female circumcision
Transforming attitudes toward female circumcision
The reality of social change in Kenya
Religion as liberative
African feminist hermeneutics
Religious sources for transformation: a brief illustration
Conclusion and recommendations.