Mariya Ali

http://scroll.in/article/755852/in-australia-three-dawoodi-bohras-face-supreme-court-trial-for-circumcising-their-daughters

A good friend of mine who currently lives in Australia told me about how the court case against the Bohra community in Australia was garnering a lot of exposure in the media. The above article does an exceptional job (thank you Aarefa) of coming from a neutral place (which is very hard for me to do with my views on this matter) and stating the facts so succinctly.

Finally there are public ramifications for breaking the law and harming your own flesh and blood.  The mother-daughter bond is so strong, yet religious zeal is strong enough that it convinces people to hurt their own daughters and delude themselves into thinking  that they are doing this for their daughters’ well-being.

7 years in jail? A small price to pay for the lifelong effects that this procedure causes the innocent little girl. I do sympathize with the fact that if convicted, this would render the daughters mother-less for that period of time – however, the flip side is that it will serve as a strong deterrent to others who consider inflicting this procedure on helpless girls.

I acknowledge the Australian authorities for spending so much time and investing so many resources in gathering unequivocal evidence that these events took place – even exposing the corruptness that exists within the Bohra community structure; the trickle down unspoken threat of the consequences of speaking out, the secrecy surrounding the procedure and the coercion of the innocent girls to keep quiet over such a scarring event.

Here’s hoping that this is the first of many prosecutions – let there finally be punishment for this crime. Perhaps the negative exposure may make influential players change their position and save thousands of girls from being subjected to this brutal experience.