Jewish leaders in the Nordic countries have slammed the proposed legislation in Island's parliament banning the circumcision of young boys, calling it an 'attack on Judaism' which 'would not be successful'.
The bill to ban circumcision has been introduced in the 63-member Albingi—Iceland’s national parliament, the oldest parliament in the world by eight members of the ruling Left Green Movement, the Progressive Party, People’s Party and the Pirate Party. The bill will come up for discussion in the coming weeks.
Brit milah—the Hebrew word for the ancient custom of circumcision of boys— is a commandment in the Torah, the Holy Book of Judaism, as a sign of covenant between God and the faithful. The ritual of the removal of the foreskin is performed on newborn babies as early as on the eighth day of their birth. It is also practiced by Islam as taught by the Prophet Muhammad in the Holy Koran.
In a joint statement against anti-circumcision legislation in Iceland, Jewish leaders in the Nordic Countries—Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway—said Iceland would be the only country to ban one of the most central, if not the most central, rites in the Jewish tradition, in modern times. “More than one oppressive regime has, through history, tried to suppress our people and eradicate Judaism by prohibiting our religious practices,” they said.
Urging the Icelandic parliament members to vote against the bill, the Scandinavian Jewish leadership in an open letter said Iceland did not have an organised Jewish community now, but banning brit mila would guarantee that no Jewish community would be established in the country.
Cardinal Richard Marx, the head of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the EU (COMECE), has protested against the proposed legislation calling it a “a dangerous attack on religious freedom.”
Since Iceland does not have a significant Jewish presence—out of around 335,000 people, hardly over 100 are Jews—the community leaders have called on their European brethren to put pressure on Icelandic leaders to prevent passing the bill.
The supporters of male circumcision say it reduces chance of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and is a preventive measure that helps fight HIV/Aids. However, those who opposes view it as an unwanted foreign primitive custom comparable to infamous female genital mutilation. Iceland has banned circumcising girls in 2005. Criticism against circumcision started off in the region following the rise in Muslim immigration in Europe .
The legislation came up after a study report was issued by Children’s Ombudsmen for Nordic countries in 2013 which said that “circumcision without a medical indication on a person unable to provide informed consent conflicts with basic principles of medical ethics, particularly because the operation is irreversible, painful and may cause serious complications." Iceland is the first of the five Nordic countries to act on this proposal.
However, the move is slowly catching up in other Nordic countries. The Danish Medical Association has already recommended that boys under the age of 18 should not be circumcised unless there is a medical problem.
Intact Denmark, a Danish organisation fighting against genital mutilation, has asked people to sign a petition demanding the Danish Parliament to enact a similar legislation banning circumcision for boys under 18.
