Egyptian court upholds ban on female genital mutilation

The highest administrative court in Egypt, the council of state, has upheld an official ban on female genital mutilation in the country.

A group of Islamists had tried to overturn the health ministry's ban on the practice -- also known as female circumcision -- arguing it was required under Islamic law.

They won their case in a lower court in June, but the judge at the higher court said circumcision was not mandatory under Islamic law and the operation was not mentioned in the Koran.

Official statistics show that more than ninety per cent of women in Egpyt are circumcised, and the BBC correspondent in Cairo says the ruling is a strong statement from the government that it wants to wipe out the practice.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service