A battle has raged in the Maine Legislature over Heather Sirocki’s LD 1904, a bill to criminalize the brutal practice of female genital mutilation. Rep. Sirocki has been a magnificent warrior for children. Yet, the Southern Poverty Law Center has come out labeling ACT for America as a hate group and LD 1904 as a hate bill.

Neither ACT for America nor its members hate Muslims, the primary group that engages in female genital mutilation. While others, including Christians, sometimes do commit this crime (even in America up until the 1960s,  rarely, to prevent masturbation), many Somalis, for example, have had that horrid, cultural practice inflicted upon its women. Though not in the Qur’an, it is in the Hadith — another book within Islam — Ahmad Ibn Hanbul 5:75, “The prophet said, ‘Circumcision is a law for men and a preservation of honor for women.’ ” or, Sunan Abu Dawud, 41:5251: “Do not cut severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband.”

LD 1904 provided for felony criminalization for the parents, the cutters and anyone transporting little girls to be mangled. It has passed every time through Maine’s Senate, with major bi-partisan support. It was amended in the House to prosecute only the cutters and thusly died. That is the left’s way of pretending to do something while doing nothing.

My take on the Southern Poverty Law Center? I would change that to Southern Protectors of the Laceration of Children.

But ACT and Sirocki, not the left, are haters? Really?

Jared Bristol, Hebron