2 Detroit-Area Moms Charged In Genital Mutilation Case

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Two Detroit-area women have been charged with allowing their daughters to undergo genital mutilation as federal authorities expand their case against members of a Muslim sect.

A new indictment filed Wednesday raises the number of people charged in the case to six. The indictment also adds four girls from Michigan, ranging in age from 9 to 12, to the group of alleged victims. The case began with two girls from Minnesota.

Farida Arif and Fatema Dahodwala, both of Oakland County, are accused of taking part in the practice at Burhani Medical Center in Livonia. A judge entered not-guilty pleas on behalf of the women and released them on bond.

The main defendant in the case is Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, who is charged with cutting girls at a clinic after hours in suburban Detroit. She denies any crime and says she performed a religious ritual.

Fakhruddin Attar, M.D., 53, and his wife, Farida Attar 50, both of Livonia, are charged with conspiring to perform female genital mutilations. The government says the alleged acts occurred at Dr. Attar's clinic with his approval. Farida Attar is accused of assisting Nagarwala.

All belong to an India-based Muslim sect called the Dawoodi Bohra.

Prosecutors have said Nagarwala may have performed genital mutilation on as many as 100 girls over 12 years.

[View a copy of the complaint. Note: Contains graphic language/details]

Between 100 million and 140 million women and girls are thought to be living with the consequences of female genital mutilation, according to the World Health Organisation. It is common in parts of Africa and the Middle East, and outlawed in the U.S.

© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.