German leader worried about circumcision ban

German Jews and Muslims are not amused: a district court has banned circumcision, the National Post reports.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has criticized the decision and has promised to pass a law re-instating the right to circumcise male infants.

“I do not want Germany to be the only country in the world where Jews cannot practice their rituals. Otherwise we will become a laughing stock,” she said.

A court in Cologne ruled that circumcision was only appropriate for older males who consent to the procedure.

Meanwhile, certain groups have come out in support of the ban: “We are shocked that religious groups deny the harm [caused by circumcision] and at the distorted and disingenuous claims made by those opposing the court’s decision, wrongly suggesting that it is an indication of anti-Semitism,” said the chairman of the Secular Medical Forum, Dr. Antony Lempert

The ban does not apply to the whole of Germany, but Muslims and Jews fear that the ruling will set a precedent.