Fauziya kassindja biography of christopher paul

Education: Fordham University, B. Home— Alexandria, VA. In December, , seventeen-year-old Fauziya Kassindja fled to the United States from her native Togo to escape the brutal rite of female circumcision. In response, U. It was a harsh and degrading introduction to her new country, but in the end, due to the efforts of an American University law student and the interest of the New York Times, which put her story on the front page, Kassindja was granted asylum, the first person to earn this right based on the fear of female genital mutilation.

Fauziya kassindja biography of christopher paul: In one case, for

Kassindja and her coauthor, Layli Miller Bashir, tell the story of Kassindja's life in Togo, the death of her father, whose relatives drove away her mother and forced her into a polygamous marriage, and her dramatic escape days before she was scheduled to undergo her "cleansing," the name given for the brutal procedure of removing a woman's genitalia.

Unfortunately, her struggles didn't end there, as she was subjected to a lengthy stay in immigration prison, where abusive guards and callous immigration agents nearly broke her spirit. In the end, Kassindja triumphed over the odds and earned the asylum that would allow her to live free and whole, but as Newsweek reviewer Laura Shapiro concluded, "Moving and powerful though this story is, it exposes such unremittingly grim truths that it's impossible to close the book and feel at peace.

Waldman concluded, "It's hard not to be charmed by Kassindja and moved by her story. People, April 13, , Deborah J. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.