Is female circumcision really this prevelant?

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - International - Egypt mufti says female circumcision forbidden

A 2005 UNICEF report on the practice showed that 97 percent of Egyptian women between ages 15 and 49 had been circumcised.

That number just seems unbelievably high. I googled around and there have been a couple other credible sources that give about the same number. I find it hard to believe that almost 100% of the women in egypt are circumsized. As a Westerner it's pretty shocking.

the small villages in egypt do it still, but in most cases they do not remove the entire clitoris...only the hood so that when she moves about she cannot feel it.
some women hang kinda low and when you are thin, you can easily feel it.

i dont feel badly for this though because 1.-their men have to leave the area for work a lot of the times and 2.-as a woman, i find that most of my own sexual fulfillment comes from the inside, not just the clitoris.
the g-spot does exist and i think it feels better, and that you cannot cut off. i think its what satisfies the womn in sex, not the clitoris. the clitoris is good to get you started but then once you are doing the actual intercourse, you dont really need it to be played with anymore.
the clitoris comes in handy when you gotta do it yourself loool.

sorry for that...just had to say it.

er yes thanks for that.. lets not discuss this too deeply please

..But about the practise itself - many people wrongly blame it on islam, but its actually a pre-islamic african custom, but yes its prevailent more in the villages than the major cities.