In the court of Cologne, Germany, judges had called circumcision a "criminal act", equating it with bodily harm. Jewish and Muslim groups around the world have expressed deep concern over the ruling. If all of Germany declares circumcision a criminal act, people would either have to travel abroad for the ritual procedure, or emigrate from Germany entirely.
While many studies show that there are multiple health benefits to circumcision, these benefits are often debated. Jewish and Muslim groups, as well as secular ones, also have conflicting views on circumcision.
Male circumcision is addressed in the Old Testament. God commanded that Abraham, all of the men of his tribe, and all descendants should cut their foreskins to show their loyalty to God and also to identify themselves as God's Chosen People. It is the responsibility of the father to circumcise his son when he is eight days old. The family hires a mohel, or a ritual circumciser, to perform this duty during a celebration. The mohel receives special training in this art. Secular Jews will take their baby boys to a hospital for a surgical procedure. To date, there has been no evidence that this procedure harms Jewish males or their sexual capabilities, and no reports of Jewish males suffering injury or death from the procedure.
Male circumcision is not addressed in the Koran, but has become regular practice for Muslims around the world. Legend has it, however, that Mohammed said that circumcision is traditional for men and "meritorious" for women...but never said that Allah requires it. Depending on their cultural traditions, male Muslims are circumcised at different ages. Grown men who convert to Islam may be expected to have themselves circumcised.
Unlike male circumcision, female circumcision (also known as "female genital mutilation" or FGM) has no health benefits, and has been proven to cause harm to women later in life. It is an extremely painful procedure that often renders a woman unable to enjoy sexual intercourse, and can lead to various forms of cancer. Some families who come from countries that practice FGM seek asylum in non-FGM practicing countries, to protect their daughters from this damaging practice. Female circumcision is against the law in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, and Sweden, as well as in 15 African countries...but Germany has yet to outlaw this practice.
If the German circumcision ruling does something to address FGM, that would be one giant leap for womankind.
Showing posts with label Judaism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judaism. Show all posts
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Passover: A Celebration of Freedom
In the Western world, most people today would agree that the enslavement of fellow human beings is a human rights violation, even though slavery was permissible in the Old and New Testaments. In Judaism, the Passover holiday commemorates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt and their exodus to the Holy Land as given to them by their god.
On the first night of Passover, observant Jewish families have a ritual meal called the seder. During the seder, the Jewish family (often led by the male head of the household) reads from the Haggadah, a special book which explains the reasons that Jewish people celebrate Passover, and why they eat and drink what they do in what sequence during the holiday, through question-and-answer, narrative, prayer, rituals, and games. What is not explained very well, however, is how the Jews became slaves in Egypt in the first place.
Respected sources state that the ancient Hebrews migrated to Egypt in order to escape famine. The Pharaoh at that time allowed them to stay in Egypt, where they prospered, became fruitful and multiplied. A later Pharaoh saw this Jewish baby boom as a threat to the kingdom (although this too is never explained), and he decided to enslave those of working age and kill off male infants. Moses would have been one of those infants, if his mother Jochebed did not send him down the Nile in a basket, to be adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter.
As the infant Moses would not nurse from the Pharaoh's daughter, it was suggested that she find a Hebrew wet nurse for him. Moses' older sister Miriam went to fetch Jochebed, who was allowed to care for Moses in the Pharaoh's custody. This meant that Moses never lost his connection to the Hebrew people, and therefore was not corrupted by Egyptian ways. He was selected by the god of his people to lead the ancient Hebrews out of Egypt into the Promised Land.
Freedom for the ancient Hebrews came at a cost. Their god told them that, if they wanted to live as free people, they had to follow many rules to prove that they were civilized and of a higher moral caliber than the Egyptians, as well as rules that would simply appease their god. During the Jewish Diaspora, where Jews migrated frequently and were rarely given equal rights in the countries where they settled, they took the definition of freedom very seriously. All humans have the right to freedom of movement, the right to personal safety, the right to work, the right to believe what they wish, and the right to pursue their happiness. It is said that the most spiritual of the Jewish people fight for social justice for everyone, in memory of every period of persecution that they have faced.
On the first night of Passover, observant Jewish families have a ritual meal called the seder. During the seder, the Jewish family (often led by the male head of the household) reads from the Haggadah, a special book which explains the reasons that Jewish people celebrate Passover, and why they eat and drink what they do in what sequence during the holiday, through question-and-answer, narrative, prayer, rituals, and games. What is not explained very well, however, is how the Jews became slaves in Egypt in the first place.
Respected sources state that the ancient Hebrews migrated to Egypt in order to escape famine. The Pharaoh at that time allowed them to stay in Egypt, where they prospered, became fruitful and multiplied. A later Pharaoh saw this Jewish baby boom as a threat to the kingdom (although this too is never explained), and he decided to enslave those of working age and kill off male infants. Moses would have been one of those infants, if his mother Jochebed did not send him down the Nile in a basket, to be adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter.
As the infant Moses would not nurse from the Pharaoh's daughter, it was suggested that she find a Hebrew wet nurse for him. Moses' older sister Miriam went to fetch Jochebed, who was allowed to care for Moses in the Pharaoh's custody. This meant that Moses never lost his connection to the Hebrew people, and therefore was not corrupted by Egyptian ways. He was selected by the god of his people to lead the ancient Hebrews out of Egypt into the Promised Land.
Freedom for the ancient Hebrews came at a cost. Their god told them that, if they wanted to live as free people, they had to follow many rules to prove that they were civilized and of a higher moral caliber than the Egyptians, as well as rules that would simply appease their god. During the Jewish Diaspora, where Jews migrated frequently and were rarely given equal rights in the countries where they settled, they took the definition of freedom very seriously. All humans have the right to freedom of movement, the right to personal safety, the right to work, the right to believe what they wish, and the right to pursue their happiness. It is said that the most spiritual of the Jewish people fight for social justice for everyone, in memory of every period of persecution that they have faced.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Hannukah and Human Rights
Hannukah (also spelled "Hanukkah" or "Chanukah") means "rededication" in Hebrew. It is also known as "The Festival of Lights". Hannukah commemorates the Jewish Maccabee rebels re-capturing a temple that once served as a Jewish temple, then was captured by the Greeks to worship Zeus.
The Maccabees did not care so much about what gods or goddesses the Greeks worshipped, but it seemed that the Greeks used this specific temple--a formerly Jewish temple--to practice rituals that would purposely insult the Jews living in Greek-occupied Jerusalem. Those Greeks slaughtered pigs in the temple, and this was a purposeful display of disrespect and dishonor toward the Jews. By fighting a battle with the Greeks to reclaim their temple, the Jewish Maccabees made a statement--that regardless of what culture, science, technology, and religion the Greeks brought to Jerusalem, the Jews would not allow their culture and religion to be ridiculed or destroyed. In effect, the Jewish Maccabees told the Greeks that while they may be citizens of the Greek Empire, they would never stop being Jewish.
Hannukah lasts for eight nights; each night a candle is lit on the menorah to commemorate the lighting of candles in the reclaimed temple. Many Jewish people place their menorah in a window or a public place. This is as much a display of pride in one's Jewish identity as the commemoration of an ancient battle to save a symbol of Jewish identity.
There is a Jewish population in Saint Cloud. While the date of first Jewish settlement in Saint Cloud is unknown at this time, Jewish people have lived here long enough to raise children and grandchildren. In many American cities, even ones which are not known for their Jewish communities, a menorah is placed next to the Christmas tree or nativity scene in public places to recognize that Christians and Jews are equal. To this day, a menorah has not made an appearance next to any Christmas trees or Nativity scenes in public spaces in Saint Cloud, which implies to an outsider that a Jewish community does not exist, or is not to be seen or heard.
The Maccabees did not care so much about what gods or goddesses the Greeks worshipped, but it seemed that the Greeks used this specific temple--a formerly Jewish temple--to practice rituals that would purposely insult the Jews living in Greek-occupied Jerusalem. Those Greeks slaughtered pigs in the temple, and this was a purposeful display of disrespect and dishonor toward the Jews. By fighting a battle with the Greeks to reclaim their temple, the Jewish Maccabees made a statement--that regardless of what culture, science, technology, and religion the Greeks brought to Jerusalem, the Jews would not allow their culture and religion to be ridiculed or destroyed. In effect, the Jewish Maccabees told the Greeks that while they may be citizens of the Greek Empire, they would never stop being Jewish.
Hannukah lasts for eight nights; each night a candle is lit on the menorah to commemorate the lighting of candles in the reclaimed temple. Many Jewish people place their menorah in a window or a public place. This is as much a display of pride in one's Jewish identity as the commemoration of an ancient battle to save a symbol of Jewish identity.
There is a Jewish population in Saint Cloud. While the date of first Jewish settlement in Saint Cloud is unknown at this time, Jewish people have lived here long enough to raise children and grandchildren. In many American cities, even ones which are not known for their Jewish communities, a menorah is placed next to the Christmas tree or nativity scene in public places to recognize that Christians and Jews are equal. To this day, a menorah has not made an appearance next to any Christmas trees or Nativity scenes in public spaces in Saint Cloud, which implies to an outsider that a Jewish community does not exist, or is not to be seen or heard.
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