Washington Post: A district judge in Cologne, Germany, recently ruled that ritual circumcision is a crime, violating “the fundamental right of the child to bodily integrity,” which outweighs other parental and religious rights. “This change runs counter to the interests of the child,” the court concluded, “who can decide his religious affiliation himself later in life.”
Jews and Muslims have traditionally viewed male circumcision in a different light — not as an expression of individual choice but as a form of initiation into a community. German religious figures from all the Abrahamic faiths criticized the Cologne ruling, with particular outrage expressed by Jewish leaders. Dieter Graumann, head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, called it “outrageous and insensitive” and warned that a general application of the decision would “coldbloodedly force Judaism into illegality.”
Though the ban directly applies in only one region of Germany, secular supporters count it a triumph and a precedent. One academic, Holm Putzke, celebrated the rejection of “religiously motivated violence against children.” “The court has,” he said, “unlike many politicians, not been deterred by the fear of being criticized as anti-Semitic or antireligious.”
This judgment of one judge in Cologne will set a precedence of Judiciary interferring in religious matters. Earlier in Pakistan it was the Parliament which interferred in religious issues in 1974. That set a precedence of discrimination on the basis of religion in the Muslim World.
The German Government must take a serious note of this and take all necessary measures to stop this interference of Judiciary in religious matters.
Jews and Muslims for once should join hands to condemn this.
MAV
Jews and Muslims in fact quite often join hands. (In this case they did already). Do you know that the Jews of Switzerland opposed the ban on the construction of minarets?)