Female Genital Mutilation: India’s Well-Kept Secret

[On 13-14 April 2026, a nine-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court will hear a petition challenging the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) in India and calling for the enactment of a specific anti-FGM law. Originally filed in 2017, the case has since been clubbed with a broader set of matters addressing fundamental constitutional questions around religious freedom. This article, first published in 2015, has been updated and republished in light of the upcoming hearing.]“When I was around seven, my grandmother took me on an outing. We went to a dingy building. The women there told me to take my panties off. Then all the women, including my grandmother, pinned my arms and legs down. One of the women took a blade and began cutting me down there. I screamed in terror and pain.”Those may be the words of only one woman, but they convey the anguish faced by many.Is the Supreme Court Asking the Right Questions About FGM?Words such as those led Tasleem, a Mumbai-based woman then in her 40s, to start a campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) 15 years ago. In December 2011, she started a change.org campaign with a goal to collect enough signatures to present to the then Bohra High Priest, His Holiness Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, and call for a ban on the ritual.But Burhanuddin’s spokesman, Qureshi Raghib, regrettably ruled out any change—and claimed he had no interest in discussing the issue. He said:"I have heard about the online campaign, but Bohra women should understand that our religion advocates the procedure, and they should follow it without any argument."‘It Happens a Lot’: The Flaws in India’s Sex Ratio Data and 'Gender Test' LawSyedna Burhanuddin passed away in January 2014, and a bitter succession battle ensued between Mufaddal Saifuddin and Khuzaima Qutbuddin for leadership of the Dawoodi Bohras, including litigation.But nothing changed for the women. This barbaric practice goes on unchecked to this day, making a legal intervention necessary as soon as possible.FGM, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.It has been widespread in many parts of Africa and the Middle East for centuries, but has been a particularly well-kept secret in India and Pakistan, where it’s practiced by the Dawoodi Bohra community under the specious plea of 'an Islamic mandatory'.Debate on this subject is generally taboo—and any discussion sacrilege. The women of this community are made to believe that it is practised all over the world, as well as crucial for their social acceptance.FGM not only poses severe health risks to women, but has serious long-term physical and psychological ramifications. More awareness needs to be raised within the Dawoodi Bohra community. Several attempts to do so have been made.A blog, Break the Silence, for instance, aims to shed light on similar narrations and spread awareness on the cruel practice by questioning how men and women lack compassion for their daughters and granddaughters by putting them through such pain—and why female circumcision hasn’t been made illegal in India.A documentary, A Pinch of Skin, portrays a string of women sharing their own experiences of FGM, and brings together voices of women who suffered.It is important to note that it has been made clear by Islamic scholars that there is no mention of any type of genital mutilation in the Quran."Religion has nothing to do with it (genital mutilation)... These are customary practices of certain traditional societies in some parts of Africa, where all women were genitally mutilated irrespective of their religion, caste, or creed."Dr Zeenat Shaukat Ali, Professor of Islamic Studies, St Xavier’s CollegeArticle 25 guarantees every citizen the fundamental right to preach, practice, and profess one’s religious beliefs. In Javed vs State of Haryana (2003) and in Khurshed Ahmed Khan vs State of UP (2015), the court ruled that “what was protected under Article 25 was the religious faith, and not a practice which may run counter to public order, health, or morality”. It was also observed “that a practice did not acquire sanction of religion simply because it was permitted”.These lead me to the firm belief that FGM clearly fails on all counts and must go. *With inputs from Mrinal Mohanka and Meghna Mohanka(Manoj Mohanka is a businessman but is more interested in affairs of the state rather than the state of affairs. He follows politics and religion closely and runs a trust to educate Muslim girls from poor families.)

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The Forbidden Debate: India’s Hidden FGM Crisis

FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia.

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Topics: India Pakistan Female genital mutilation