to me its very much like a rape survivor says woman who was cut at age 6 creditmichael stravato for the new york timesjune 10 2017as more details emerge about the firstever charges of female genital mutilation in the united states the case is opening a window onto a small immigrant community while stirring impassioned discussion about genital cutting among women who have experienced itat a hearing in michigan this past week a federal prosecutor said the defendants two doctors and a clinic manager from a small shiite muslim sect were believed to have arranged cutting for up to 100 girls since 2005 the prosecutor sara woodward said investigators had so far identified eight girlsthe unprecedented charges provide an unusual case study of a practice outlawed in the united states two decades ago but still seen in parts of africa the middle east and less frequently south asia the focus on the dawoodi bohra a sect of about 12 million based in western india with clusters in the united states pakistan and elsewhere is spurring bohra women to describe their experiences publicly some are doing so for the first time defying the sects historic secrecy about cutting and taking a risk that they or relatives will be ostracizedthis michigan case made me think i want to speak out said nazia mirza 34 who was cut at age 6 in her hometown houston to me its very much like a rape survivor if you dont say anything then how are you going to expose it and bring awarenessthe case prompted tasneem raja 34 a journalist to write about being cut in new jersey she said she had received an outpouring of emails from people saying thank youbut ms raja said the case was exposing a spectrum of feelings even among bohra women who oppose cutting she said views range from women who say this has greatly impacted their sex life and their ability to enjoy sex to people like me who walked away with lifelong emotional trauma to people who say i dont see what the big deal issome worry the case is stoking antimuslim sentiment though cutting is not in the quran or practiced in many muslim societies and some bohras who oppose cutting nonetheless feel the defendants are being unfairly demonized for a practice endorsed by their religions leadershipi dont want to be pro the practice but i dont want it to be exaggerated into something completely barbaric said maryah haidery 37 who comes from a bohra family in new jersey and had never spoken publicly about her cutting beforems haidery who does medical writing for pharmaceutical companies said she was very concerned about this violation in michigan but also taken aback by how vilified that michigan doctor had becomeprosecutors citing phone records texts interviews and surveillance video accuse dr jumana nagarwala an emergency medicine physician of cutting the genitals of two 7yearold girls from minnesota dr fakhruddin attar an internist is accused of letting dr nagarwala use his