Does hymenoplasty make a virgin?

Do you want the woman you marry to be warm, intelligent, fun, loyal, ethical, honest ... or is the most important thing that she have a hymen?

Muslim women in Europe know that without a hymen, Muslim men will reject them as unsuitable marriage partners. Even if a woman has all of the qualities that make for a good marriage partner, if she is not a virgin she is considered damaged goods.

Because of this, a number of Muslim women in Europe who no longer have a hymen due to either accidental causes or sexual intercourse, are electing to undergo a surgical procedure called hymenoplasty, to "restore" the hymen.

Elaine Sciolino and Squad Mekhennet, in an article in The New York Times refer to a 23-year old French student of Moroccan descent who paid a fee of $2,900 in Paris to have a hymenoplasty. In 30 minutes, she was as good as "new."

She did this, she said, because "In my culture, not to be a virgin is to be dirt. Right now, virginity is more important to me than life."

The article went on to say that "Gynecologists report that in the past few years, more Muslim women are asking for certificates of virginity to provide proof to their fiances. Cosmetic surgeons claim that if done properly, a hymenoplasty cannot be detected and will bleed at first intercourse -- i.e., on a wedding night.


Two things. First of all this reflects the ancient patriarchal view that women are not fully human, and therefore may be treated as objects or property, and used however the males desire. This viewpoint is often buttressed by claiming it is beneficial for Muslim women because it shields and protects them from the vagaries of life.

Unfortunately, it does not allow them the basic human freedoms. And the fact remains that women are thought of as inferior, a lower form of life.

Secondly, the women who undergo hymenoplasty are not "restored" virgins. They are not any kind of virgins. Their virginity is gone forever, not to be reclaimed - not matter what procedure they undergo.

Rather than virgins, they become liars. They deceive their spouses in a fundamental manner about something considered to be of ultimate importance. Their deceit will cause them to live their entire lives hiding the fact they were not virgins when they were married. And as hymenoplasty becomes more common and garners more publicity they will be followed by the fear that their spouses will investigate and discover the truth--that they are married, not only to someone who was not a virgin, but to a woman they cannot trust.

Trust is the bedrock of any relationship. If one is willing to lie about being a virgin, what else will she lie about?

Do I castigate these women. Absolutely not. In a Muslim culture, their choices are limited. I feel desperately sorry for them. But I haven't a clue as to what to do about it. I'm afraid the only way the situation will change is if, as women did in the United States, they stand up for their rights and put their lives on the line.