An appeal to Maneka Gandhi: Stop the flip-flops on Female Genital Cutting in India
Sahiyo is deeply concerned about the Indian government’s repeated contradictory positions on the problem of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in the country. In the span of just 13 months, India’s Ministry for Women and Child Development has flip-flopped on its stand on FGC at least twice. Its latest u-turn came on Wednesday, June 27, when […]
Sahiyo to be a part of a new global movement for progressive Muslims
‘Can I Check Your Khatna?’
by Anonymous Age: 32 Country: Bahrain One of my male cousins married a lady who is not Bohra and not Muslim. He had a court marriage with her in the country where he resides, while his mom (my aunt), lived in Bahrain. For the sake of his mom’s happiness, he decided to get a nikah […]
The story of my start to the holy month of Ramzan
by Insia Dariwala, Sahiyo Ramzan — the time of peace, love, and prayers; a time for family gatherings, breaking fasts together and collectively praying for individual good, and the good of all in this world. Unfortunately, this Ramzan is showing me exactly the opposite, as I see the entire Bohra community (well almost), rising up […]
We need a Bohra Revolution
By: M Bohra Age: 23 Country: United Kingdom The ongoing investigation into Dawoodi Bohra doctors engaging in khatna, or female genital cutting (FGC), and the community leadership’s ambivalence regarding this practice, have once again brought up unanswered questions. What message is the leadership in India sending to the Bohra community when it disowns the doctors’ […]
Female Genital Cutting: Religion has nothing to do with it
By: Anonymous Country: United States Age: 34 Around the age of seven, unbeknownst to me at the time, extended family members asked my parents when they would be taking me to have khatna done. In the country we lived in at the time, it was the norm for girls in our community to get it […]
What do Australian Bohras feel about Khatna today?
By: Anonymous Age: 32 Country: Australia Khatna is not a topic discussed very often amongst Bohras. Maybe because there is no reason to ever bring it up. However, since the case in Sydney, Australia, in which the aamil, Shabbir Mohammed Vaziri was sentenced to jail for being an accessory to Female Genital Mutilation, the topic […]
My Body Is Not Mine – A Muslim woman’s commentary on body autonomy
(Originally posted by BEYONDHIJABSG on 4 FEBRUARY, 2016. Republished here with permission.) By: Zarifah Anuar Country: Singapore Community: Malay When I was two weeks old, my mother handed me over to her bidan (traditional midwife), my grand-aunt, to be circumcised. She did not witness the procedure and did not know exactly what was done to me. […]
“You have no right over your body.” Things khatna supporters have told me
By: Saleha Paatwala Age: 23 Country: India After watching ‘Reflecting Her’ (a film on FGC) that gave me strength to fight, it has now been six months since I set out on this mission to end the hazardous practice of Khatna. In these months, I have had discussions with numerous individuals including my relatives, some […]
Our campaign will continue: Sahiyo’s statement in response to Syedna’s official stand on khatna
On June 6, 2016, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin officially released a public statement to the press clarifying his stance on the issue of female genital cutting (khatna/khafz) in the Dawoodi Bohra community. Since February, several Bohra jamaats in countries like Australia, UK, USA and Canada – where female genital cutting is illegal – have issued resolution […]