This quote, from Dr John Harvey Kellogg, he of breadfast cereal fame, should be shown to anyone who is uncommitted on the matter of male genital mutilation:

A remedy for masturbation which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision. The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering an anesthetic, as the brief pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment. In females, the author has found the application of pure carbolic acid to the clitoris an excellent means of allaying the abnormal excitement.

It leaves little room for misunderstanding the real reason behind the practice.