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German court rules Jewish and Muslim religious circumcision illegal

June 27, 2012

A court in Cologne has apparently ruled that circumcision – required in Jewish and Muslim religious practices – is illegal.  The decision has resulted in a rare alliance of the German Bishops’ Conference, the German Central Council of Jews, the ZMD (German Central Council of Muslims), the TGD (Turkish Community in Germany – representing secular interests) denouncing the decision.

Bundestag President Norbert Lammert was reported as saying:

“This is a clash between the law and freedom of religion, but I’m not worried,” Lammert said. “The German court has yet to say its final word on this matter.

Based on a 1999 decision allowing Muslim and Kosher butchering practices, there is some optimism that a German high court will overturn the ban on circumcisions. 

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3 Comments leave one →
  1. Jay permalink
    June 28, 2012 4:47 am

    What about juvenile female circumcision? Should that be legal or not?

  2. June 28, 2012 10:35 am

    Female genital mutilation is not supported by scriptural sources, and it is deeply harmful. It cannot be compared with male circumcision, which has scriptural support and conveys significant health benefits.

    http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/

  3. Eifelginster permalink
    January 5, 2014 9:31 am

    Germany:
    Activists File Complaint Against § 1631d BGB

    December 2013 — German intactivist movement tries to tackle circumcision law. Since december 2012 a circumcision law (§ 1631d BGB) principally allows parents to circumcize their son as desired. Now activists against HGM or any ritual mutilation (i. e. FGM and MGM) have written a petition to the German Supreme Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht) and demand that the § 1631d BGB is declared as not being in accordance with the German constitution. Instead they call for an end of all circumcisions done without medical necessity.

    27. Dezember 2013
    an das
    Bundesverfassungsgericht
    Karlsruhe

    Beschwerde gegen das Bundesgesetz über den Umfang der Personensorge bei einer Beschneidung des männlichen Kindes

    Die Beschwerdeführer legen daher gegen dieses Gesetz Beschwerde ein und beantragen durch eine einstweilige Anordnung nach § 32 Abs. 1 BVerfGG diese Vorschrift sofort außer Kraft zu setzen, um alle medizinisch nicht erforderlichen Beschneidungen, insbesondere Rituale wie Metzitzah B’Peh, pria und Praktiken wie im folgenden Link beschrieben, die sicherlich mit einer Zirkumzision lege artis nicht zu vereinbaren sind, trotzdem aber durchgeführt werden, zu verbieten bis das hohe Gericht über die Verfassungsbeschwerde entschieden hat.

    Die Beschwerdeführer beantragen zudem, die nicht medizinisch indizierte MGM an nicht einwilligungs- und urteilsfähigen Jungen auf die Liste der Auslandsstraftaten zu setzen, um sowohl Beschneidungstourismus zu verhindern als auch die gegebenenfalls erforderliche Strafverfolgung ortsunabhängig zu gewährleisten.

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