On Oct 21st in Berkeley, CA, a team of Sahiyo activists organized the first California Bay Area Thaal Pe Charcha (TPC). This Sahiyo flagship program allows Bohra women to come together in a private, informal setting so that they can bond over food and discuss issues that affect their lives, like Female Genital Cutting or Khatna. The program started in Mumbai, India in 2017 and is being piloted in the United States in 2018 in New York and California. For the organizers of the California Bay Area TPC, the weeks leading up to the event were full of excitement and anticipation for what they hoped would be the start of new friendships in the Bay Area.
This is what one organizer, Sabiha Basrai, has to say about the program:
“Sharing space with an inter-generational group of Bohra women was healing and inspiring. I was able to embrace my Bohra identity in a new way and celebrate the special bonds that we build in our community, take pride in our cultural and religious history, and of course, enjoy a shared meal around a thaal. It is difficult to talk about the patriarchy that exists within our jamaats and I am grateful that TPC created a safe and confidential space to hear each other’s stories and to remind one another that we are not alone in these struggles. We are all figuring out how to practice our faith with feminist values. This means challenging certain social norms that are oppressive to women, such as khatna or female genital cutting while recognizing that empowering women is a very Muslim thing to do.
I am grateful for the patient and supportive work of Sahiyo and look forward to the continued work bringing about gender justice in our communities.”