Texy Posted April 23, 2017 Share Posted April 23, 2017 SOURCE In the first federal case involving female genital mutilation filed in the United States, two Michigan doctors and the wife of one of the doctors have been charged with performing the banned procedure on two 7-year-old girls. Dr. Fakhruddin Attar, 53, and his wife, Farida Attar, 50, were arrested Friday at their medical office in Livonia, Michigan, west of Detroit. They were charged with three federal criminal counts including conspiracy, female genital mutilation and aiding and abetting. Detroit emergency room physician Jumana Nagarwala, 44, was arrested April 12 and is currently in jail awaiting trial after a federal judge deemed her a flight risk and a threat to the community. The three defendants belong to a "religious and cultural community" that investigators allege practices female genital mutilation on young girls -- a painful surgical procedure to remove part of the clitoris or clitoral hood to suppress female sexuality. During a court hearing April 17, Nagarwala's defense attorney, Shannon Smith, told a judge the procedure did not involve cutting and was religious in nature, CNN affiliate WXYZ reported. Smith argued the procedure is practiced by the Dawoodi Bohra, an Islamic sect based in India, and that the clinic was used to keep procedures sterile, WXYZ reported. The Detroit Free Press reported from the hearing that Smith said her client removed membrane from the girls' genital area using a "scraper" as part of a religious practice. The girls' parents would then bury the membrane in the ground in accordance with their religious custom, Smith said, according to the Free Press account. Clinic under surveillance A 2012 US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report found that roughly 513,000 women and girls in the United States were at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation, which was more than twice an earlier estimate based on 1990 data. The World Health Organization considers the procedure a violation of human rights of girls and women. According to the complaint, the case against Nagarwala and the Attars dates to at least February, after the FBI had received information that the procedure was being performed at the clinic. Court documents do not indicate the source of the information. Investigators were watching the clinic and saw the two girls and their mothers arrive at the Burhani Medical Clinic, which Attar owns. Attar, his wife and Nagarwala were already inside. Dr. Fakhruddin Attar (left), Dr. Jumana Nagarwala The girls, both from Minnesota, later told investigators their mothers said they were going to Detroit for "a special girls' trip," according to court documents. According to those court documents: One girl said they had gone to the doctor's office because their "tummies hurt" and the doctor had to "get the germs out." The second girl said that after the procedure, "she could barely walk, and that she felt pain all the way down to her ankle." Both girls said their parents told them not to talk about the procedure. When investigators questioned the parents, one couple described the procedure as a "cleansing" of extra skin. Investigators believe there are more young victims in Michigan. Nagarwala is accused of performing the mutilation while the Attars allegedly assisted. Attorney: Attar 'will be vindicated' "Dr. Attar is not aware of any crimes that occurred at his clinic," Attar's defense attorney, Mary Chartier, told CNN. "He has confidence that he will be vindicated through the justice system because he has done nothing to violate the law." Attar told investigators that Nagarwala used his clinic to treat girls between ages 6 and 9 for genital problems and that Nagarwala didn't charge for her services. Attar said his wife was present during the examinations to "comfort" the girls and "hold their hands," according to court documents. Attar said Nagarwala saw patients in his clinic five to six times a year. "Dr. Attar voluntarily spoke with the FBI without an attorney," said Chartier. "He has no criminal history. He knew his colleague had been arrested, yet he continued to live in his home and work at his clinic serving his patients. He certainly did not try to flee. He is a respected and trusted community member." The Attars had an initial appearance on Friday. "The court did not ask for a plea at the initial appearance, but Dr. Attar is pleading not guilty and will be vigorously defending against these charges," said Chartier. Farida Attar's attorney, Matt Newburg, told CNN his "client has not admitted guilt." He said she has not entered a plea, "but we look forward to defending the case against her." They should never practice medicine. They are a disgrace to my profession. Under_Score and velu 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 This is how certain religions control their women's sexuality- mutilate them, so they it always hurts, so they wouldn't want it on their own most of the time. Barbaric. Under_Score and beetle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 Barbaric. Under_Score 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikred Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 On the other hand circumcision is alright because.....? Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk coffee_rules and Peshust 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffee_rules Posted April 24, 2017 Share Posted April 24, 2017 (edited) 4 hours ago, nikred said: On the other hand circumcision is alright because.....? Sent from my Redmi Note 4 using Tapatalk Good point..How is FGM different from sunnati/circumcision? circumcision is done to believe in increasing fertility among male babies and the other one for FGM is believed to curtail sexuality, promiscuity among female babies Believe/faith is the key word in both cases. Edited April 24, 2017 by coffee_rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkt.india Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 11 hours ago, coffee_rules said: Good point..How is FGM different from sunnati/circumcision? circumcision is done to believe in increasing fertility among male babies and the other one for FGM is believed to curtail sexuality, promiscuity among female babies Believe/faith is the key word in both cases. No, main reason to do circumcision is cleanliness. Muslims has to wash their penis every time they go the bathroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 2 hours ago, rkt.india said: No, main reason to do circumcision is cleanliness. Muslims has to wash their penis every time they go the bathroom. Thats not a reason at all, unless you are literally a desert idiot 1500 years ago. It'd be akin to chopping off your ear lobes- so you don't have to wash them. If you have access to daily showers, that excuse for mutilating infants is a barbaric excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkt.india Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 6 hours ago, Muloghonto said: Thats not a reason at all, unless you are literally a desert idiot 1500 years ago. It'd be akin to chopping off your ear lobes- so you don't have to wash them. If you have access to daily showers, that excuse for mutilating infants is a barbaric excuse. I Am not giving excuse. I just posted their reasoning behind circumcisions. Why would I give an excuse for what they do? I don't give an F whether they circumcise or cut their pen off. Peshust 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muloghonto Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 2 hours ago, rkt.india said: I Am not giving excuse. I just posted their reasoning behind circumcisions. Why would I give an excuse for what they do? I don't give an F whether they circumcise or cut their pen off. And i am saying that medical community has long since moved away from that excuse being a valid medical excuse. Most doctors nowadays oppose circumcisions due to health issues unless there is an actual problem with the opening of the urethra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts