Controversy Over Circumcision in Germany
In 2012, a state court in the German city of Cologne ruled that circumcision of male children for religious purposes was an "act of grievous bodily harm." As a result, many doctors, fearing prosecution, ceased performing the ritual. Many public commentators and bloggers hailed the ruling as a justified protection of children's rights, while others, especially in the Muslim and Jewish communities, criticized the ruling as an attack on religious freedom. Necla Kelek inserted herself into the debate. In an article in Die Welt, she wrote "The circumcision of Muslim boys is an equally repulsive archaic custom as female genital mutilation among little girls. It is an instrument of oppression and should be ostracized."
Read more about this topic: Necla Kelek
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