To the Editor:

There is a surgical procedure that is performed on young girls in over 30 countries, 27 African countries, Indonesia, Iraq Kurdistan and Yemen. It is called female genital mutilation. The practice attempts to control women’s sexuality. This practice is basically a mutilation of young girls. The interesting aspect is that here in the United States, where everyone and anything is subject to being verbally abused for the slightest alleged indiscretions, no one has ever raised their voices to protest this horrific behavior. Our former president traveled to many Mideast nations apologizing for alleged American indiscretions but never mentioned this. I believe that what it boils down to is that as a general population we have been deceived by those in power and by those who cry the loudest for the so-called disenfranchised.

We have been surrounded by a smokescreen whereby we, the normal thinking, are assaulted constantly in order for the free thinkers to minimize our ability to defend our ideals. Otherwise, why not defend these young girls? Probably because it would not get as much media as terrorist bombings, alleged police shootings, alleged racial injustice or verbally assaults against our president.

John Cervone

North Providence