General Article ‘Religious freedom’ claims used to defend FGM in courts in four countries

Topic Selected: Religion Book Volume: 358
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Cases come as rights advocates warn such arguments are increasingly being ‘weaponised’ against women’s and LGBT equality.

By Claire Provost and Nandini Archer

Doctors and lawyers in at least four countries have recently argued in court that bans on female genital mutilation (FGM) violate ‘religious freedom’.

Three of these cases – in India, the US and Australia – involved members of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a sect within Shia Islam with about a million followers, primarily in Gujarat, Ind...

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