Why I am a proud supporter of Sahiyo
By: Qudsiya Contractor Age: 38 Country: India As a Dawoodi Bohra woman, I am proud of Sahiyo and the work it is doing. Because I am tired of people assuming that we as Muslim women are hapless victims that need to be rescued from their Islamic cultures steeped in orthodoxy and patriarchal traditions. Or that […]
How I learned that FGM happens in India
By: Anonymous journalist whose friend underwent FGM Age: 26Country: India “It was supposed to stop me from me doing ‘those things’. I’m not sure if it served the purpose,” M told me. I would have known about this practice much later if I hadn’t met someone who underwent it. As we were getting to know […]
Part-time Translator Job Opportunity in Mumbai
Looking for an individual willing to assist in translation between Gujarati and English, with a preference for those also able to speak Lisan al-Dawat, for the month of July in Mumbai and surrounding provinces. The translator will be working closely with two student researchers from the University of North Carolina and Trinity College Dublin who […]
FGM before the Indian Supreme Court
By: Koen Van den Brande Age: 55Country: India It was to be expected… The Indian Supreme Court has been asked to look at the practice of ‘khatna’ – commonly known as FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) as a result of a Public Interest Litigation filed by Sunita Tiwari, a Delhi based advocate. There was a time, […]
Despite backlash, Sahiyo will continue to work with the community
The World Health Organization (WHO)’s guidelines on the management of health complications from female genital mutilation/cutting states that the “involvement of health-care providers in performing FGM is likely to confer a sense of legitimacy on the practice and could give the impression that the procedure is good for women’s health, or at least that it […]
I underwent Female Genital Cutting in a hospital in Rajasthan
(Trigger Warning: Below is the account of one woman’s experience with FGC. We thank her for being brave and sharing her story with us) By: Jamila Mandsour Age: 25Country of Residence: KuwaitCountry where Khatna took place: Banswara in Rajasthan, India That day, I was taken to the hospital to see my newborn cousin. Although the […]
To cut or not to cut? Let our daughters grow up and decide
By: Insiya Age: 34Country: Mumbai, India As I belong to a well-known and educated family, I was always given a chance to think outside the box. My parents were always supportive irrespective of what our community norms were. I was educated and given the same rights as my brothers and my voice was never unheard […]
‘I want Bohras to wake up and stop practicing Khatna’
By: Anonymous Age: 32 Country of current residence: Bahrai I’m a victim of FGM and this is my story. It’s the same as every other FGM survivor. India. A dingy house. An old woman. A blade. Pain. Blood. Being given chocolate. And then being yelled at to stop crying. And the thing that hardly anyone […]
The Detroit doctor arrests are an opportunity to talk about Khatna
By: Anonymous Age: 33Country: Pune, India Even though I clearly remember when ‘khatna’ was performed on me, it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I first started to question this practice within the Dawoodi Bohra community. It always felt wrong, but if my mother, sister, and seemingly everyone else in the community embraced it, […]
Thaal Pe Charcha: A Sahiyo flagship event where Bohra women bonded over food
In February, Sahiyo held an event titled Thaal Pe Charcha (loosely translated as ‘discussions over food’), in which 16 Bohra women from Mumbai came together to discuss – for the first time – the challenges of living as young girls and women in the tightly knit Dawoodi Bohra community. Invitations were sent out through word […]