A Second Doctor Was Just Arrested For Female Genital Mutilation

Brittany M. Hughes | April 21, 2017
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A second Michigan doctor and his wife were just arrested on charges of performing female genital mutilation on minors, according to breaking news from the U.S. Justice Department Friday.

WJBK out of Detroit reported Friday:

Fakhruddin Attar, 53, and his wife, Farida Attar, 50, of Livonia, were both arrested and have been charged with conspiring to perform female genital mutilations on minor girls our of Dr. Attar's medical clinic in Livonia.

Both husband and wife were arrested Friday morning and are due in court later this afternoon.

Justice Department officials said Attar’s victims were between the ages of 6 and 8 years old, and some had been brought from out of state for the procedure.

The Justice Department alleges Attar and his wife conspired with another doctor, Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, who was arrested and charged with performing FGM procedures on underage girls, including two seven-year-olds who were brought to her Livonia-based clinic by their parents. The victims, one of whom reported being unable to walk immediately after the incident, were allegedly told to keep quiet about the “secret” procedure afterwards.

Nagarwala, who’s reportedly a member of the Dawoodi Bohra community, an Indian Muslim sect, has denied she had mutilated the girls, claiming the procedure (which is illegal across the United States) is an acceptable religious practice in her culture.

The case marks the first time FGM has been prosecuted under federal law.

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