German circumcision ruling points to religious intolerance, critics say

[rug]

STEPHEN BROWN
BERLIN — Reuters
Published Monday, Jul. 09 2012, 7:50 PM EDT
Last updated Monday, Jul. 09 2012, 7:54 PM EDT

Jewish religious leaders will hold an international meeting in Berlin on Tuesday to discuss how to respond to a German court ruling against performing circumcision on baby boys, which also sparked protests from Muslims and Christians in Germany.

- er . . . snip, so to speak -

The head of the Conference of European Rabbis told Reuters on Monday that it was part of a trend to limit religious freedom in Europe that was targeting Jewish and Muslim traditions such as circumcision and the religious slaughter of animals for meat.

“We see this decision by a German court in the context of a new European intolerance towards other religions,” said Pinchas Goldschmidt, the Swiss-born chief rabbi of Moscow and organizer of the meeting to be held in Berlin on Tuesday.

He cited a Swiss ban on building new minarets on mosques, a French ban on women wearing Islamic veils in public and a failed Dutch bid to outlaw kosher and halal meat prepared by Jewish and Muslim butchers as other examples of legislation inspired by resentment at growing Muslim immigration.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/german-circumcision-ruling-points-to-religious-intolerance-critics-say/article4401737/?cmpid=rss1

[Scootaloo]

1. Religion is an adult decision made by adults

Germany did not outlaw circumcision; it outlawed the performance of circumcision on people who cannot consent to the procedure. If the kid wants to take on the tribal scarification of his elders, well, he can do so when he's old enough to decide for himself what his beliefs are.

[rug]

2. How do you feel about Swiss minarets?

[Scootaloo]

3. I feel they are not cosmetic surgery performed on a nonconsenting child

[rug]

5. How about Halal meat?

[Scootaloo]

9. You're comparing making meat bland to COSMETIC SURGERY ON A NONCONSENTING CHILD

I like a good sirloin like anyone else, but I'm not seeing how there's even the faintest bit of equivalency here.

[eqfan592]

7. Agreed. (nt)

[cbayer]

4. I agree that this whole thing is being driven by religious intolerance and a wish to rid themselves

of *others*.

Quite an audacious move, particularly for Germany.

One thing I have not been clear on. Does this law just prohibit hospitals and doctors from performing circumcision, or does it also apply to mohels(sp?)?

[eqfan592]

6. Possibly, tho I note that the ruling does not ban circumcision outright.

Only circumcision done on those under the age of consent.

[rug]

8. It was a court decision in a criminal case.

"The court came down firmly against parents’ right to have the ritual performed on young children.

“The body of the child is irreparably and permanently changed by a circumcision,” the court said. “This change contravenes the interests of the child to decide later on his religious beliefs.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/german-court-outlaws-religious-circumcision/article4371222/

That's pretty broad so I'd say it means all done by anyone.

[trotsky]

11. What I find audacious is how you can read minds and tell us...

what this is "really" about.

[Ron Obvious]

10. This is an enlightened ruling.

And you (the generic you, not you Rug specifically) would agree with me if you weren't steeped in tradition that says this is a normal thing to do. It really isn't. It's barbaric and belongs to the scrapheap of history.