Bohra Women Against Female Genital Mutilation: Over 3K People Sign Their Petition

For Dawoodi Bohra Muslim women, female genital mutilation (FGM) has been a terrible rite of passage that has been forced upon them. For those who are unaware of what this process entails, we went deep into the subject in this article, where we spoke to somebody who had actually experienced the painful procedure.

Zenab Bano, a retired political science professor from Udaipur, was subjected to this practice when she was barely seven years old. She was made to attend a function with one of her friends and her grandmother, with a promise that she would be given a gift at the end. “Before I realised what was happening, there was this woman pulling down my undergarment,” she recounts. “I had no idea what she was doing. It hurt a lot and I cried.”

The female circumcision ritual, or khatna as they call it, is a clandestine ritual, where the hood of the clitoris is cut off when a girl reaches the age of seven. The ritual is supposed to discourage masturbation and limit the extent of sexual pleasure. Considering that this is a topic that is not discussed even within the community, very little is known about the practice.

Asghar Ali Engineer, a Bohra reformist and scholar acknowledged the prevalence of this practice in his community and said, “It would be difficult to ascertain the scale as it is a very hush-hush affair. In big cities like Bombay, it is done in hospitals right after birth and in smaller towns it is done around the age of six.”

In 2012, a woman named Tasleem (she does not wish to disclose her surname) signed a petition addressed to the community high priest Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin asking him to put an end to this practice. She sent a large cardboard blade embossed with the photograph of a girl crying her heart out as she was circumcised. Even though the petition got more than 3,000 signatures out of the expected goal of 5,000, it was entirely ignored by the authorities.

But Bohra women have once again decided that it is time this archaic practice came to an end, and thankfully they are being backed by people across the board. On Tuesday, a petition signed by 16 women of the community was released, calling out to people for their support in their fight.

“It is historic that 16 Dawoodi Bohra women who have all been subjected to FGM have signed the petition openly,” said Masooma Ranalvi, the first signatory of the letter and the founder of a platform of Bohras called Speak Out on FGM.

It is not only historic, but an extremely brave effort. The 10-lakh-strong community, spread across Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat, is an extremely influential sect. Add to this, the fact that this practice has continued for years under the pretext of it being mandatory under Bohra Sharia law. However, considering it finds no mention in the Quran, it is safe to say that it has nothing to do with Islam, even though fundamentalists will disagree. There has been a history of social boycott and ostracisation of those who speak out against the clergy, as well.

For the first time, the women of this community have come out openly and taken a stand. “Because this is a very educated, middle-class community, people think nothing goes wrong,” said Ranalvi. “But this is a closely-knit community over which the clergy have a tight control. A lot of women want to speak out, but they don’t want to be identified because of fear of persecution.”

This letter, addressed to the ministers of Women and Child Development, Law and Justice, and Health and Family Welfare, asks them to pass a law banning the practice of female genital mutilation.

Once it has received enough signatures, Ranalvi plans to take this up directly with the government and there is a good chance that she won’t need to wait long. In a matter of two days, the petition has received 2,840 endorsements—and counting.

The UN General Assembly had adopted a unanimous resolution on the elimination of the practice of female genital mutilation back in December 2012. Over the years, several countries outlawed the practice, with Nigeria and Gambia being the most recent.

What is surprising is that the Dawoodi Bohras are considered to be one of the most educated groups in our country, and yet they are the only Muslim community to continue this custom. “The whole practice stems from India because this is the spiritual centre,” Ranalvi said. “Bohras wherever they are in the world continue practicing FGM, even if the law of the land says it is not allowed.”

The reason why we need to take our time and show our support for this cause could not be more glaring. It is not only a matter of gender equality or human rights—or even a violation of the rights of children. But if none of those causes mean anything to you, here is one that should: the inevitable medical complications arising from executing such an operation in unhygienic conditions by a pair of untrained hands.

There was a case where a girl had to be hospitalised because she bled excessively after suffering a cut that was deeper than intended. This is only one story. But of course, even if it were medically supervised or conducted in hygienic conditions, it doesn’t make this practice any more acceptable.

Sign the petition and show your support against this inhumane practice.