Female Genital Mutilation Protected By The Constitution? These Lawyers Say So.
Image by twitter
Two Michigan doctors being prosecuted for performing and aiding the female circumcision of two girls are defending themselves against federal prosecutors with a religious liberty defense.
The medical professionals, Dr. Jumana Nargarwala and Dr. Fakhruddin Attar, are said to have cooperated in the performance of FGM on two young girls brought to Michigan for the procedure. Dr. Nargarwala did the deed, while Dr. Attar provided Dr. Nargarwala the space in his clinic to to do so. His wife Farida, who allegedly held the girls down during the procedure, was also charged.
The accusations included conspiracy, female genital mutilation and aiding and abetting. The defendants claim that the procedure did not entail major damage to the girls’ vaginas, aside from a nick.
The defendants all belong to the Dawoodi Bohra Islamic sect in India, which has long practiced female genital mutilation. The defense lawyers claim the defendants’ actions are protected under the First Amendment and that they are being persecuted for their faith.
FGM can implicate a range of procedures, but almost all of them involve amputating the clitoris and amount to a form of child abuse. Female circumcision is practiced in select areas of Asia and Africa, though the practice is on the decline thanks to public health education.
Contact Daniel J. Solonon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
-
Fast Forward In NYC, Itamar Ben-Gvir says he’s changed — and wants ‘the Trump plan’ in Gaza
-
Fast Forward On his first trip to Auschwitz, New Jersey governor urges vigilance against rising antisemitism
-
Fast Forward Survivors of the Holocaust and Oct. 7 embrace at Auschwitz, marking annual March of the Living
-
Fast Forward Could changes at the FDA call the kosher status of milk into question? Many are asking.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion Trump’s heedless approach to an Iran deal could be a big problem for Israel
-
Fast Forward In NYC, Itamar Ben-Gvir says he’s changed — and wants ‘the Trump plan’ in Gaza
-
Opinion Itamar Ben-Gvir’s visit to a Jewish society at Yale exposed deep rifts between US Jews
-
Fast Forward On his first trip to Auschwitz, New Jersey governor urges vigilance against rising antisemitism
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.