London - Feminist writer Germaine Greer was yesterday sharply criticised by MPs for defending the ritual practice of genital mutilation of girls as young as eight.
The Commons International Development Select Committee said her comments on female genital mutilation - a practice prevalent in parts of Africa as well as Asia and the Middle East - were "simplistic and offensive".
Her recent book, The Whole Woman, argued that attempts to outlaw the practice amounted to "an attack on cultural identity".
