"'Feminist' lawyer vow$ to defend doctor who 'circumcises' girls
A Detroit-area doctor charged with mutilating the genitals of young girls in violation of federal law walked out of jail Tuesday a free woman as her lawyer was able to arrange the largest unsecured-bond in the jurisdiction’s history.
(Dr. Jumana Nagarwala is charged with mutilating the genitalia of five girls ranging in age from 7 to 11.)
Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, 44, a member of a Shia Muslim sect that practices a form of female genital cutting, posted a $4.5 million unsecured bond after some 15 friends and family members put their homes and other assets on the line. If she flees, they lose their property.
Most of those who pledged their assets are believed to be fellow members of the Dawoodi Bohra, a Western India-based sect within the Ishmaelite community of Shia Muslims.
There are 22 Dawoodi Bohra mosques across the United States:
The names of those who pledged to pay the $4.5 million bond were sealed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Stafford.
Nagarwala smiled at friends and relatives in the courtroom Tuesday, including her father and her husband, Moiz Nagarwala, the Detroit News reported.
Nagarwala has been jailed since April after prosecutors say two 7-year-old girls from Minnesota were cut at Nagarwala’s clinic in Livonia.
The prosecution considers Nagarwala a flight risk because she has wealth and was arrested at the international terminal of the Detroit Airport.
Most of those who pledged their assets are believed to be fellow members of the Dawoodi Bohra, a Western India-based sect within the Ishmaelite community of Shia Muslims.
There are 22 Dawoodi Bohra mosques across the United States:
Atlanta Jamaat
Bakersfield Jamaat
Boston Jamaat
Chicago Jamaat
Dallas Jamaat
Detroit Jamaat
Detroit Masjid Jamaat
Houston Jamaat
Los Angeles Jamaat
Miami Jamaat
New York City Jamaat
Philadelphia Jamaat
San Antonio Jamaat
San Diego Jamaat
San Francisco Jamaat
San Jose Jamaat
Seattle Jamaat
Tampa Markaz Jamaat
Washington DC Jamaat
New Jersey State Jamaat
Orange County Markaz (california) Jamaat
South Jersey Jamaat
Bakersfield Jamaat
Boston Jamaat
Chicago Jamaat
Dallas Jamaat
Detroit Jamaat
Detroit Masjid Jamaat
Houston Jamaat
Los Angeles Jamaat
Miami Jamaat
New York City Jamaat
Philadelphia Jamaat
San Antonio Jamaat
San Diego Jamaat
San Francisco Jamaat
San Jose Jamaat
Seattle Jamaat
Tampa Markaz Jamaat
Washington DC Jamaat
New Jersey State Jamaat
Orange County Markaz (california) Jamaat
South Jersey Jamaat
The names of those who pledged to pay the $4.5 million bond were sealed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Stafford.
Nagarwala smiled at friends and relatives in the courtroom Tuesday, including her father and her husband, Moiz Nagarwala, the Detroit News reported.
Nagarwala has been jailed since April after prosecutors say two 7-year-old girls from Minnesota were cut at Nagarwala’s clinic in Livonia.
The prosecution considers Nagarwala a flight risk because she has wealth and was arrested at the international terminal of the Detroit Airport.
Nagarwala’s attorney, Shannon Smith, specializes in defending people against sex-crime charges. She told WND Tuesday that her client did not “mutilate” any girl’s genitals, but rather “nicked the outer foreskin, not the clitoris or labia,” as part of her sect’s ancient religious custom.
“I can appreciate that some people would still be against the nick to the foreskin,” said Smith, a self-described feminist, in an email to WND. “I do want to point out, however, that the nick only amounts to Type 4 under the World Health Organization and is not prohibited by law.”
“There is such a range when it comes to genital cutting that it is very unfair to classify all of it under the term ‘mutilation,'” she continued. “Everyone involved in this case, including my client, is against ‘mutilation.’
“Further, the nick to the foreskin removes far less than what is removed during a male circumcision which has been an accepted religious tradition for centuries. Although we tend to be egocentric and many people in the U.S. are not familiar with the thought of female circumcision or nicking the foreskin … that does not make it wrong."
“Further, the nick to the foreskin removes far less than what is removed during a male circumcision which has been an accepted religious tradition for centuries. Although we tend to be egocentric and many people in the U.S. are not familiar with the thought of female circumcision or nicking the foreskin … that does not make it wrong."
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