Feds Arrest Another Doctor in Connection with Michigan Female Genital Mutilation Case
Federal agents allege doctor and his wife let Livonia clinic serve as site to cut genitals of 7-year-old girls.
A second doctor in Michigan has been arrested in connection with alleged female genital mutilation.
The arrest involves accusations that a doctor cut the genitals of girls as young as 7-years-old.
Federal officials are charging Dr. Fakhruddin Attar and his wife Farida with assisting in the mutilation of two young girls brought by their parents to Michigan from Minnesota.
Officials allege the mutilation occurred at a clinic operated by Dr. Attar in the Detroit suburb of Livonia.
They claim Farida Attar held the hands of the girls to comfort them as the procedure was conducted.
Last week Dr. Jumana Nagarwala was arrested on charges of performing the genital mutilation.
She’s a member of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim sect.
Leaders of the sect in Detroit say they instruct members to follow U.S. laws.
Female genital mutilation is considered a crime in the U.S., but is still practiced in some cultures.
April 21, 2017
Statement from Anjuman-e-Najmi Detroit
Anjuman-e-Najmi Detroit is an organization managing the affairs of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Detroit
“The Dawoodi Bohras do not support the violation of any U.S. law, local, state or federal. We offer our assistance to the investigating authorities.
Any violation of U.S. law is counter to instructions to our community members. It does not reflect the everyday lives of the Dawoodi Bohras in America.
It is an important rule of the Dawoodi Bohras that we respect the laws of the land, wherever we live. This is precisely what we have done for several generations in America. We remind our members regularly of their obligations. The last such reminder made by the Detroit congregation was in May 2016, and by the Minneapolis congregation in March 2016. It is unfortunate if anyone has not abided by the laws of the country.
We are a long-established, well-integrated, successful community in the United States, comprising 12,000 people, many of whom have been settled here since the 1950s. We take our religion seriously but our culture is modern and forward-looking. We are proud that women from our community have high levels of educational attainment and enjoy successful, professional careers.”
