Male infant circumcision is declared illegal in Germany.

Physical abuse. There will be uproar about religious persecution and the human right to practise a religion of choice.

I hope that so-called female circumcision is already against the law.

Hooray! - well done Germany! Time for UK to follow suit; or better still an EU directive.

This is long overdue.

The human right issue for the parent to be allowed to practise a religion of choice will come head to head with the right for the child to give consent to what amounts to a non-medical procedure. In my book the person who is suffering the precedure wins every time. When the child reaches the age of consent then he/she can decide whether circumcision is right for him/herself.

Good news. About time too. Is Germany the first country to do this?

I dare say a lot of parents will just have it done to their sons illegally - it's a very big thing (unfortunate turn of phrase, perhaps!) in the Jewish religion, especially.

Islam, too, Anagram.

I am all for religious freedom, but the infants do not have the choice - it is simply assault and abuse. The claim that circumcised men have less risk of contracting HIV/Aids has now been disputed, because so many circumcised men think they do not need to use a condom.

anagram
Here is my take on this news.
Jewish people have lived in Germany since before the Middle Ages.
The Muslims have not.
And maybe this is a stealth attack on the Muslims?

Anyway how do you think our wonderful ethnic neighbourhoods have received this news?.....
From a personal point of view , it does not sit easy with me that Germany, with her WWII history should come up with this.

My comment was serious, johanna.

johanna - I can't follow your reasoning. What does it matter how long any religious or ethnic group have been in Germany - infants still need protecting.

Ofcourse it was.,ana
It was just so funny when you said unfortunate turn of phrase perhaps.!

Sorry but this is a very important rite in the Jewish faith - considering their history how is Germany going to handle this with the few Jews left in that country. This is like the French Government banning turbans and hijabs - so much for liberty - you cannot do this with our peoples' faiths. In the US I should think 95% of male children have circumcisions, Jewish or not - considered a bit odd if your son is not circumcised. It has nothing like the effect that female circumcision has, does not prevent the man from having normal sex at all. Whereas female circumcision does and affects the woman during childbirth. Other missing a flap of skin the man can carry on as normal. Whereas the woman suffers years of agony, has a tiny hole to pass water and mensturate, has to be cut for sex . You cannot ban this as it will still continue and people like Jews and Muslims will go abroad to have it done. [It has to be done on the 8th day or the child is not received into the faith].

Oh I see, johanna - sorry, I'd forgotten that bit!

No matter what the medical reasoning behind this decision, it is sure to be construed as anti-semitic and anti-islamic.

Yes; and probably a measure not high on the voting public's list of priorities right now.

Anti baby abuse might be though. What's the big deal if an eight day old child can't be accepted into the Faith of it fathers? Superstitious nonsense. The baby has no faith.

Of course not, but its parents sincerely feel that their child will not be accepted into their faith unless the circumcision is done. I don't agree with it, but I know that it isn't that simple to people of faith.

I agree with Bags - there is no justification for mutilating a child on the grounds of religion. Some East African religions think it is acceptable to murder children for their body parts, other sects, some even operating in London, think the devil can be beaten out of children.
This is not anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic - it is anti child abuse.

It is nothing like turbans being banned - a turban sitting on your head is worlds away from taking the decision to mutilate your child. It is child abuse pure and simple and in 100 years people will be astounded that it has remained legal for so long (just as we are now shocked that children were sent up chimneys, or "witches" were drowned etc.).

Of course we all recognise that it is a matter of some importance to some people's religions, but that does not override the need for innocent children to be protected. The religions need to get up to date and follow their own edicts about caring for others.

It is simply not true that male circumcision is free of medical problems - or indeed psychological ones. There is a whole movement in the US amongst men to try and find some way of reversing this mutilation that was imposed on them as infants.

All this talk of WW 2 and Germany is irrelevant - they are simply protecting their young citizens from the abuse that flows from superstition.

Of course people will go abroad to have it done - but that does not mean that it is not right for a country to say not here and not in our name. As long as there is no law banning this practice it is tacitly condoned. I say again - well done Germany.

Agree wholeheartedly, and we also should be saying 'not here, not in our name!'

Well said, mishap.

According to Genesis 18 verse 1-8: as an act of covenant with God all the men, including Abraham, in his household were circumcised. It is a mitvah one of 613 commandments that Jews follow, some to a lesser degree - many Jews are not orthodox, many barely go to the synagogue, some may barely believe BUT all their boys are circumcised. So a law in Germany, or anywhere else will be ignored. As there aren't that many Jews in Germany [I wonder why], it will be easy for them to slip over the border. It may even force the ones left to leave. Why anyone would want to stay in a country that systematically tried to eradicate your race is beyond me. So it just makes this whole ban ridiculous - when it comes down to religion people will stay fast to their beliefs. It will not stop the practice . Female circumsicion is not in the Bible or the Koran it is not done out of belief but custom.

There are a good many Muslims in Germany though, dorset and they won't take kindly to this legislation either.

It's not ridiculous if it makes people stop and think, nor if other countries follow suit. I reckon that's the plan. It's one of those consciousness-raising acts, part of the on-going attempt of civilisation to improve the human condition. Well done Germany.