Masooma Ranalvi is an activist for the ending of female genital mutilation (FGM) in India.

She is the founder of We Speak Out,[1] an organization dedicated to helping Dawoodi Bohra women escape or heal from female genital mutilation. Ranalvi is a part of the Dawoodi Bohra Shi'a Muslim community in western India.[2] She shares her personal experience with FGM to open discourse on violence against women, sexual harassment, and sexism within traditional norms.[3] Her agenda is to create and expand a platform for other women to openly discuss, and politically fight against, female genital mutilation.

Her Story

In 2015, Ranalvi shared her story on WhatsApp, soon after starting the We Speak Out movement. Ranalvi was cut at the age of seven in her village in India.[2] One day, Ranalvi's grandmother took her to an old building where a woman performed female genital mutilation on her. In this community, FGM is a traditional custom based in the egalitarianism within the Muslim religion.[2]

Activism

Ranalvi is the founder of We Speak Out.[1] Working with the group, Sahiyo,[4] Ranalvi created an online petition to stop female genital mutilation in the Bohra community that received over one hundred thousand signatures.[5] Ranalvi's work also focuses on the mental health of FGM survivors.[6] The organization's mission is to outwardly address India's government for a policy ban on FGM in the Bohra community, and extend this nationwide.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Masooma Ranalvi – Fighting The Odds Of Female Genital Cutting In India". Life Beyond Numbers. 28 April 2020. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  2. 1 2 3 "Opinion: I Was Circumcised When I Was a Girl of 7". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  3. ↑ Sahiyo (2018-11-05). "Aarefa Johari and Masooma Ranalvi discuss FGC at We the Women Bangalore". SAHIYO. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
  4. ↑ "SAHIYO". SAHIYO. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
  5. ↑ "Muslim Women and the Challenge of Religion in Contemporary Mumbai". Economic and Political Weekly. 52 (42–43): 7–8. 2015-06-05.
  6. ↑ Cousins, Sophie (2016-05-17). "Health workers should reverse FGM procedures by deinfibulation, WHO says". BMJ. 353: i2788. doi:10.1136/bmj.i2788. ISSN 1756-1833. PMID 27189752. S2CID 40699140.
  7. ↑ "WeSpeakOut: For Women's Rights". www.wespeakout.org. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
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