Dawoodi Bohra women start online campaign to stop khatna, female circumcision

December 4, 2015, NewsCrunch

An online petition to stop female genital mutilation has drawn support from 3,000 Dawoodi Bohra women in just two days.

The petition calls upon the Government of India to legally prohibit the practice of genital cutting of Bohra girls, reports Mumbai Mirror.

Bohra is the only community in Indiawhich practices female genital mutilation, known as khatna, which is considered a religious obligation. The practice is common in North Africa, to where the Dawoodi Bohras trace their origin.

Khatna is the ritual removal of the external female genitalia.  It is typically carried out by a traditional circumciser using a blade, with or without anaesthesia, in most cases on girls around age 7.

It has been extensively documented that female genital mutilation leads to severe pain, haemorrhage, sepsis and harms the girls psychologically. But within Bohra community there is tremendous pressure to carry on with the tradition.

Usually, the older women members of the Bohra families take lead in the ritual sometimes even without informing their men.  

Ironically, Dawoodi Bohras, a Shia sect, are known for gender equality and women's empowerment.

A similar petition had been attempted in 2011; it had been delivered to Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the spiritual leader of the sect.