Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Germany: A Regional Court Criminalizes Circumcision Of Boys

In Brief

The regional court of cologne (second lowest state court, Landgericht Köln) rendered that circumcision of a boy is a criminal offense (gefährlicher Körperverletzung), i.e. a grievous bodily harm was inflicted. The lower court had decided against the prosecutor, because it was a traditional, religious custom and because the Muslim parents had agreed to this procedure.


Jesus Was Circumcised

The Gospel of Luke states in verse 2:21 that Jesus was circumcised eight days after his birth. Moses was supposedly born without a foreskin.

Need To Be Overturned On Appeal

The condemnation of this verdict was swift, e.g. by the German Jewish organization. This was an insensible intervention into freedom of religion. For a highly educated German judge less than 70 years after World War II ended and Holocaust to come up with such a verdict is stunning.

I hope, this judge will think about this for a long time and hopefully this verdict will be successfully appealed.

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