Father denies he circumcised his 2-year-old daughter

<p>An Ethiopian immigrant accused of circumcising his 2-year-old daughter as part of a cultural practice condemned by the United Nations says he is innocent and being set up by his ex-wife.</p><p>Khalid Adem, 28, said he is involved in a bitter custody battle and he believes his ex-wife, Fortunate Adem, went to police with the accusation to separate him from their daughter. He said it must be the ex-wife or someone associated with her that harmed his daughter.</p><p>I believe that would be painful, so it is so preposterous to say that such an event took place and took them 16 months to figure out this happened, Khalid Adem said on Wednesday.</p><p>Adem was indicted this week on charges of cruelty to children and battery. Prosecutors allege Adem performed the circumcision in 2001 at the familys home in Duluth with a pair of scissors. Police said a doctor discovered a scar on the girls genitals, confirming she had been circumcised.</p><p>The girl, now 4 1/2, is in her mothers custody. Adem does not have visitation rights.</p><p>Fortunate Adem vigorously denied her ex-husbands claims and said she believes he is trying to pass blame to avoid punishment in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press.</p><p>If he believes he was a hero and man enough to do this to his child then he should be man enough to come forward and tell the truth, she said. When my daughter grows up shes going to want to know why this happened to her.</p><p>Fortunate Adem, who moved to the United States from South Africa when she was 5, said she came from a background that did not accept female circumcision.</p><p>Female circumcision is as foreign to me as to you and other Americans, she said. I come from a culture that does not even have female circumcision. How can I practice something that is not even practiced on me?</p><p>But Khalid Adem said he believes his ex-wife or someone close to her must have done it because he was never alone with his daughter long enough to do it himself.</p><p>I am challenging them to take a lie-detector test with me and let the truth be known, Adem said. I have been quiet this long because I thought that due process would bring out the truth. But it looks like they are moving forward with their plan.</p><p>Khalid Adem, who works at a service station, is currently living in Buford.</p><p>Female circumcision, which may involve the removal of the clitoris or all the external genitalia, is a traditional procedure in some African cultures, but it has been condemned by the United Nations.</p><p>The federal Prohibition of Female Mutilation Act of 1995 prohibits the removal of certain sexual organs on girls under age 18 unless it is medically necessary and only then if performed by a licensed medical practitioner. Male circumcision is permitted in the U.S.</p><p>The World Health Organization estimates up to 140 million girls _ most of them in 28 African countries _ have been subjected to female genital cutting.</p><p>Adems criminal case is being heard in Lawrenceville, the Gwinnett County seat. The city is 27 miles northeast of Atlanta.</p>