महिला जननांग विकृति के प्रति एक माँ का बहादुर फैसला
(यह लेख पहली बार 23 मई 2017 को अंग्रेजी में साहियो द्वारा प्रकाशित हुआ था. Read the English version here and the Gujarati translation here.) लेखक: अज्ञात उम्र: 30 देश: यूनाइटेड स्टेट्स खतना शब्द और इस प्रथा से मेरा पहली बार आमना-सामना तब हुआ जब मैं 15 साल की थी। मैं एओएल इंस्टैंट मैसेंजर पर […]
I underwent Khatna but did not let it happen to my daughters
By: Anonymous Country of Current Residence: United StatesCountry of Birth: IndiaAge: 57 It was a day in June, 1966, in India. I was seven years old and sitting with my mother, listening to a story she read to me from a newspaper. Midway through reading the story, she casually mentioned to me that we were […]
Telling one’s personal Khatna story can lead to another’s not continuing FGM/C too
By Alifya Sulemanji Country: United States In the past few years, we have seen an increase in the awareness of FGM/C in the Dawoodi Bohra community, and it has led to many discussions amongst community members. There is a large number of people who were hesitant about the procedure, and due to a lack of […]
From birth to motherhood, a Singaporean Malay’s experience of Female Genital Cutting
By: Anonymous Country: Singapore Community: Malay Muslim Growing up: I was told as a child, that every girl had to go through it. There is basically NOBODY that you know who hasn’t gone through it. And I BELIEVED everything my mother said. Perceptions Ingrained in our Minds: It is dirty, unhygienic, curbs your sexual desires. […]
I will not support khatna even if my in-laws pressurise me
by Ummehani Age: 28 Country: India I was all of five and do not remember much. What I do remember is my mum and my sister taking me to some Aunty’s house on the pretext of meeting a relative. That unknown Aunty made me sleep on a soft table kind of a thing and asked me […]
I deeply resented what was done to my most intimate parts without my permission
Age: 64 Country: United States (Read the Hindi translation of this article here.) It’s time to take a stand against Female Genital Mutilation. It’s long overdue. It wasn’t right when my mother went through it (I assume she did but I never asked her about it), it wasn’t right when I went through it and it […]
I did not circumcise my daughters, says a Malay Muslim mother
(Originally posted by BEYONDHIJABSG on 3 FEBRUARY, 2016. Republished here with permission.) Country: Singapore Community: Malay By Zubaida Ali When my daughters were born, I made the decision not to have them circumcised. Female circumcision is one of the most puzzling birth rituals in Muslim society. It has no health or aesthetic value whatsoever. Circumcision was […]
If jannat lies at the foot of my mother, why did khatna happen to me?
(Trigger Warning: The story here is another woman’s experience of FGC. We thank her for being brave enough to share it with us.) By Insiya Lokhandwala Age: 33 Country: Mumbai, India I remember going to Pune for vacation when I was seven. Once there, my eldest masi (aunt) took me to a building where there was […]
A Little Piece of Skin
Nationality: USA Ethnicity: Indian (Gujarati) Author: Anonymous 30-year-old I was not more than seven years old when I recall going into a medical complex on a quiet Sunday afternoon accompanied by my mother and our family friend. My mother told me it was time for my “khatna” or circumcision. She explained it as a rite […]
The Good Mother
(The piece below is the film-maker’s exploration on filming/’framing’ the ‘Good Mother’ for a practice which she (the film-maker) felt was a violation but her protagonist thought it to be in the best interests of her daughter.) They said ‘to be a good mother you must take your daughter through the ritual’. They said it […]