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RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 2204

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MUMBAI 000112 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KWMN KDEM IN
SUBJECT: WOMEN IN INDIA: EGALITARIANISM FROM A BOHRA WOMEN'S 
PERSPECTIVE 
 
MUMBAI 00000112  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary: In the spirit of International Women's Day, 
Consulate Mumbai met with six women from the Dawoodi Bohra 
community, a small, prosperous, highly-visible Shi'a Muslim sect 
based in Western India.  The women described their sect as 
egalitarian in its treatment of men and women in education, 
marriage and basic freedoms.  Though they acknowledged the 
Bohras have conservative, male-dominated traditions, the women 
were proud of the measure of independence they had achieved. 
The women acknowledged that the practice of female circumcision 
is still a Bohra religious obligation, but viewed it as a 
practice undertaken by both men and women.  Though holding fast 
to certain ancient traditions, their sense of independence is 
noticeable in their dress, their approach to elections, and even 
in standing up to domestic violence.   End Summary. 
 
 
 
Bohra Basics 
 
------------ 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) In conjunction with International Women's Day, Congenoff 
met with six women from the Dawoodi Bohra religious community, a 
small, Ismaili Shi'a Muslim sect known for its unusual cohesion, 
business acumen, and extreme devotion to its hereditary leader, 
Dr. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin.  In Mumbai, a city of 
approximately 16 million people, 17 percent of whom are Muslims, 
the Bohras are a small, prosperous and highly-visible minority. 
The sect began in Egypt, and eventually came to India as 
missionaries, finding converts among Indian traders, largely in 
Gujarat.  There are now approximately one million adherents in 
India and across parts of eastern Africa, the Middle East, 
Europe and North America.   According to scholars, the sect 
today is largely comprised of traders, business owners and 
professionals.  The Bohra world headquarters is in Mumbai where 
the Syedna resides. 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) The sect requires strict adherence to the precepts handed 
down by the 96 year old Syedna, and those critical of his 
leadership face excommunication and ostracism from the 
community.  Adherents are called upon to support a wealthy trust 
closely controlled by the Syedna and his family.  The Syedna has 
used some of those funds collected from the community to 
construct and equip the Saifee hospital in Mumbai which serves 
all Mumbai residents and boasts seven state-of-the-art operating 
suites.  The fund also sustains the luxurious lifestyle of 
Syedna and his extensive family.  Those Bohras who have 
questioned the Syedna on the transparency and use of these 
funds, such as noted Bohra scholar Asghar Ali Engineer, have 
been excommunicated. 
 
 
 
 
 
Perceptions of Equality 
 
----------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) The six Bohra women were all university-educated, as are 
most Bohra women: three of the women work in fields from 
sociology to fashion, while the others are stay at home mothers. 
 The women told Congenoff the community's emphasis on education 
for both males and females gives women a sense of being equals 
with their husbands.    They said that each woman has the choice 
to work or stay home, but most choose to stay home when they 
have children. (Note:  Some scholars have attributed the sect's 
ban of dowry as a key factor in higher education rates among 
women, as more family funds are available to pay for the 
daughter's education.  End note.)  Bohra women are recognizable 
for their white burqas, which are often embroidered with 
colorful designs and floral patterns.  The burqa is still widely 
worn in the community, though two of the women wore a more 
 
MUMBAI 00000112  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
casual tunic known as a salwar chamiz.  The older women saw the 
burqa as a requirement and an outward expression of faith, which 
the younger women disputed. 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) In discussing their perception of relative equality, the 
women felt that Bohra marriages are equal partnerships, as both 
men and women are urged by the Syedna to make compromises to 
make the marriage work.  One of the older women acknowledged, 
however, that wives are obliged to compromise 70 percent of the 
time, and husbands 30 percent of the time.  While accepting this 
reality, the women laughed at ways they maintain their 
independence despite the call to be subservient: one of the 
younger women admitted that she "compromises" by waiting until 
her husband is at work to view the television shows that he does 
not want her to watch.  The other women laughed in recognition 
at this form of "compromise." 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) The women were proud that they could attend prayers at 
the mosque with their husbands.  Although restricted to an upper 
balcony while the men pray on the ground floor, the women can 
hear the preaching and be in the mosque just like their 
husbands. (Note:  Their concept of equality between the sexes is 
measured against those Muslim sects where women are not 
permitted in the Mosques and must pray at home, as opposed to 
Hindu or Christian practices where women may pray next to men. 
End Note.)  The women celebrated their freedom to move about 
without being accompanied by their husbands or another male 
relative, which would be forbidden for some Muslims.  It is not 
uncommon to see a Bohra woman in her colorful frock and head 
cover driving down the busy city streets of Mumbai on a scooter. 
 
 
 
 
While Progressive, at Least One Medieval Tradition Remains 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶7. (U) In the discussion, the Bohra women affirmed that female 
circumcision was practiced in their community, ordained and 
supported by the Syedna's decrees.  They argued this practice is 
part of the egalitarian nature of their religion, as both men 
and women are circumcised.  Boys are circumcised at birth, and 
girls, they said, undergo the procedure at age seven. They 
acknowledged that for males, the circumcision is for health 
reasons and that for women the procedure is to curb sexual 
desire and prevent wives from straying from their husbands. 
While conceding that the mind controls sexual desire, they all 
supported the practice. (Note: Indian law does not ban this 
practice.  According to the 2007 Human Rights Report, the 
practice continued within the Bohra community in Pakistan, 
despite the procedure being illegal, though it was reportedly 
declining.  End Note.) 
 
¶8. (SBU) The extent of the practice, also referred to as female 
genital mutilation, among Bohras is difficult to determine.  One 
woman described the procedure as just a small snip of flesh done 
without anesthesia; another described it as removal of the 
clitoris performed under anesthesia at a private clinic. 
Engineer, the Bohra scholar excommunicated from the sect, told 
Congenoffs the procedure is done under medical supervision in 
cities, but in rural areas it is sometimes done up to age 12 
without anesthesia or medical supervision.  Dr. Neelam Ghore, a 
gynecologist and women's rights advocate, said she had seen 
cases where the clitoris had been completely removed, but did 
not note any health complications impairing reproductive 
ability.  Another gynecologist, Dr. Duru Shah, told Congenoff 
she has not seen female genital mutilation among her Bohra 
patients, concluding that if the procedure is truly universal, 
for her patients, it must have been a very minor excision. 
 
Marriage and Family Rights 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
MUMBAI 00000112  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶9. (U) All six interlocutors had arranged marriages, as do most 
Bohras, but the women spoke positively about love marriages in 
their community as well. (Note: Arranged marriages are common 
across Indian society regardless of religion.  In very 
traditional families, love marriages are rare, and in some cases 
are seen as an affront to the parents or as bringing dishonor to 
the family. End note.)  The interlocutors said that within the 
Bohra community, education is highly valued and that while 
couples may become engaged at age 15 or 16, they are asked to 
wait until they complete their education before getting married, 
sometimes waiting an additional 3-5 years.  The Syedna 
recommends that girls not marry before age 18 and that boys not 
marry until age 21, according to our interlocutors.  They 
claimed that within the Bohra community there is no dishonor if 
an engaged couple breaks off the engagement because they find 
they are incompatible.  (Note:  If true, this would be a 
significant distinction from most conservative Muslims and 
Hindus in India.  End note.) 
 
¶10. (U) In line with mainstream Islamic law, Bohra practices 
allow a man to have up to four wives.  However, the women told 
Congenoff that this right is rarely exercised and is to be used 
only when the first wife is unable to bear children, or, in some 
cases, to provide support and shelter for women who need it. 
(Note: In India, both polygamy and inheritance rights, among 
other areas, are governed by the personal laws of the respective 
religions.  For Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs, polygamy is 
banned by the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, but Borhas remain 
governed by Islamic law which permits the practice. End Note.) 
Similarly, inheritance laws leave Borha women at a disadvantage: 
 sons inherit the majority of the parent's estate.  Nonetheless, 
the women were proud that daughters in the Bohra community 
inherit 25 percent of the parents' estate. 
 
 
 
¶11. (U) The women said that Bohra families now generally have 
only two or three children, while their parents' generation came 
from much larger families.  The women rely on modern medical 
practices to control the size of their families, most often by 
tubal ligation.  The women said birth control pills and abortion 
are discouraged within the community and they laughed at the 
thought of men having a vasectomy, saying that would never 
happen. [Note:  Dr. Shah explained that many men in India 
believe that a vasectomy will render the male impotent. End 
note.]   They claimed there is no particular preference for male 
children and that feticide or infanticide is not an issue within 
the community.  Separately, A.L. Sharada of Population First, an 
organization working to combat female feticide, confirmed that 
while male children are preferred throughout India because of 
their ability to help support the family, Muslims generally do 
not have abortions, nor do they share the Hindu religious 
tradition in which a son is prized and needed to light the 
father's funeral pyre. 
 
 
 
Engaging with Society as Independent Women 
 
------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶12. (U)  Though the women denied domestic abuse occurs within 
the Bohra community, they are increasingly conscious of its 
prevalence in India society.  For example, they recounted 
standing up to protect a non-Bohra neighbor from abuse by 
ringing the  doorbell to let the husband know they knew what was 
going on and to interrupt his abuse.  This idea, they said, came 
from a television public service campaign urging neighbors 
intervene in cases of domestic abuse by ringing the doorbell to 
interrupt the abuser.  [Comment:  Whether or not these women are 
aware of any cases of domestic abuse within the Bohra community, 
scholars have generally agreed that domestic violence knows no 
bounds of religion or socio-economic status.  The directors of 
"Bapnu Ghar", Mumbai's oldest walk-in shelter for battered 
women, run by the Maharashtra State Women's Council, told 
Congenoffs that reuniting women with their abusive husbands is 
considered the best option in most cases because few women in 
 
MUMBAI 00000112  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
India have the means to support themselves.  As the media 
campaign points out, bringing attention to the abuse by ringing 
the doorbell is a small but expedient way women can help curb 
domestic abuse. End comment.] 
 
 
 
¶13. (U) Likewise, the women hold fast to their independence in 
exercising their right to vote, refusing to even discuss 
politics with their husbands to avoid being told how to vote. 
They recounted being targeted by anti-Muslim violence in the 
past and said they would never vote for a pro-Hindutva 
candidate.  In this election, however, the women argued that all 
politicians were corrupt and inept, and said they were unlikely 
to support any candidate. 
 
 
 
¶14. (SBU) Comment:  As highly educated women, the Bohras who met 
with Congenoff enjoy freedom, economic status and a degree of 
equality superior to most women in India.  While by western 
standards they may not appear equal to men, they see the cup as 
more full than empty.  As is true for many other Indians, modern 
medicine, technology, mass communication and even fashion are 
making inroads into their lives, creating a bridge between 
centuries old traditions and the 21st century.  Intellectually, 
they accepted that the rationale given for female circumcision 
does not stand up to scrutiny, but they nonetheless accept it as 
part of the requirements of their faith that they share equally 
with men  They are conscious of, and claim a right to, equality 
with their husbands and are proud of the freedom they have 
achieved.  End Comment. 
FOLMSBEE