Angela Merkel intervenes over court ban on circumcision of young boys (in Germany)

[JDPriestly]

7. Thank you, Angela Merkel.

This is about religious freedom. Jews have circumcised their sons since the beginnings of their history. And Muslims followed suit. That procedure, as barbaric as it may seem to many, is a part of what has defined their cultures for centuries and centuries.

Considering its history, for Germany, of all countries, to prohibit circumcision would appear to be an ignorant, intolerant, bigoted act reminiscent of the Third Reich.

If you don't like the procedure, the effective way to end it is to persuade individual parents not to do it to their sons. But banning a religious practice that affects only a minority of citizens and affects only the members of the families and religions that use it and does not broader societal harm is simply wrong.

You don't have to agree with the procedure. You don't have to perform it in your family. You can campaign to persuade people not to do it. But there is no compelling reason to prohibit people from doing it, and, especially in Germany, it should be allowed.