Female Genital Mutilation and its Non-Relation with Islam

Female Genital Mutilation is an age-old process involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. While it is mostly carried out on the girls between the age of 1 and 15, occasionally, adult and married women are also subjected to this procedure. In India, this practice is mostly famous in the Dawoodi Bohra community which is a small sect. Recently, the Honourable Supreme Court of India held that this practice violates the right to privacy of a woman. It is considered that this practice is a part of Islam and hence, mostly it is argued that it is integral part of religion. Thus, the law or the government cannot intervene. However, Islam does not authenticate this practice through the Holy Quran or any other relevant religious text like Hadiths, etc. This paper shall try to discuss this practice in detail, the fact that the practice has nothing to do with the religion of Islam and hence the verdict is not violative of the freedom of religion as enshrined in the Indian Constitution.

Keywords: genital mutilation, women, Islam, Quran, India, religion, privacy.