An Ethiopian immigrant accused of circumcising his daughter with a pair of scissors when she was 2 years old denied the charge Wednesday and said he is being framed by his ex-wife.
| "Wudn't me. It wuz her! The bitch!" |
Khalid Adem, 28, said he believes his ex-wife or someone associated with her injured the girl to ensure that he wouldn't see his daughter during a custody dispute. "I am challenging them to take a lie-detector test with me and let the truth be known," Adem said. "I have been quiet this long because I thought that due process would bring out the truth." Adem was indicted this week on charges of cruelty to children and battery. Police said a doctor discovered a scar on the girl's genitals in 2001. The child, now 4, is in her mother's custody and Adem does not have visitation rights. Adem's ex-wife, Fortunate Adem, denied having anything to do with the injury. Female circumcision, which may involve the removal of the clitoris or all the external genitalia, is a traditional procedure in some African cultures but it has been condemned by the United Nations. The federal Prohibition of Female Mutilation Act of 1995 prohibits the removal of certain sexual organs on girls under age 18 unless it is medically necessary and only then if performed by a licensed medical practitioner. Fortunate Adem said Wednesday that her ex-husband is trying to avoid being blamed. "If he believes he was a hero and man enough to do this to his child then he should be man enough to come forward and tell the truth," she said. |