The German cabinet approved a bill on Wednesday upholding the right to perform circumcisions on male babies in Germany. The decision overrides a district courts ruling in June in Cologne that the religious practice caused bodily harm. The case in Cologne involved a 4-year-old Muslim boy who suffered from bleeding after circumcision, prompting the court to claim the practice inflicted bodily harm and should not be carried out on young boys, although older males could be circumcised with their consent. Although the ban applied only to the Cologne region, doctors across the country refused to carry out circumcision procedures because of what they saw as a risk of becoming vulnerable to legal action. Circumcision of boys at the age of eight days is one of Judaism's most important traditions. Muslim Shariah law says boys must be circimcised before age 10, with the average age tending to be around seven years. The ruling in Cologne outraged both Jews and Muslims and sparked an emotional debate in the country, embarrassing the government into promising legislation protecting the right to circumcise. About 120,000 Jews and 4 million Muslims are registered as living in Germany. The new law states that the procedure should take place "with the most effective pain relief possible" and only if parents have been fully informed. "It was very important that our government reacted swiftly and responsibly," Charlotta Knobloch, a Jewish community leader in Germany, said. "I am glad that Germany did not remain the only country in the world that does not allow Jews to practice their religious customs."
