A Review of Female Genital Cutting in the Dawoodi Bohra Community: Part 3—the Historical,Anthropological and Religious Underpinnings of FGC in the Dawoodi Bohras (2019)
This study is a Descriptive research regarding All FGM/C with the following characteristics:
Author(s): Bootwala,Y.
FGM/C Type(s): All
Health area of focus: None.
Objective: The aim of this third review in a three-part series is to provide a contextual overview of the historical,anthropological,and religious underpinnings of female genital cutting (FGC) in the South Asian and diaspora Dawoodi Bohra communities,a practice referred to as khafd (pronounced khafz).
Study Population: Hadiths referencing circumcision were reviewed. The author also drew upon a dialogue with many individuals including: religious scholars who are part of the mainstream following,religious scholars who have broken from mainstream following,leaders of advocacy groups including Sahiyo and DBWRF,and many Bohra women who follow with varying levels of orthodoxy
Findings: History,religion,and culture all influence a community’s beliefs and practices. Trying to distill the Bohra community’s practice of khafd as solely religious or solely cultural is inherently erroneous. There is clearly a genuine component of historical and cultural influence from the Fatimid caliphate in ancient Egypt. There is also a well-defined religious component that drives the practice of khafd in the Bohra community as outlined in this review. Neglecting the reality of both the historical and the religious influences on khafd will perpetuate the stalemate in dialogue that currently exists. Acknowledging both the culturalanthropologyand the religious foundation of khafd will foster better communication between stakeholders and hopefully allow the dialogue to move forward.
Geographical coverage
Region(s):Not specified
Country(ies):Not specified