Egyptians irked by virginity faking device
Lawmakers and scholars are demanding death penalty for anyone trying to import Chinese-made contraption into country
Egyptian lawmakers and scholars are furious over an attempt to import a device allowing women to fake virginity, and are demanding death penalty for anyone trying to bring such a device into the country, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported Monday.
Professor Abdul Mouti Bayoumi of the al-Azhar University said supplying the item was akin to spreading vice in society, a crime punishable by death in Islamic Sharia law.
According to the report, the device is said to release liquid imitating blood, allowing a female to fake virginity on her wedding night. In some conservative Arab societies, the BBC says, there is a stigma about pre-marital sex.
The contraption is seen as a cheap and simple alternative to hymen repair surgery, which is carried out in secret by some clinics in the Middle East, the report adds.
The device is produced in China and has already become available in other parts of the Arab world. It is reported to be on sale in Syria for $15.
According to Prof. Bayoumi, it undermines the moral deterrent of fornication, which he described as a crime and one of the cardinal sins in Islam.
The BBC says members of parliament in Egypt have also called for banning import of the item.
