A leading group of Moroccan Muslim legal scholars in Europe has spoken out against a German court ruling that bans circumcision on minors for religious reasons.
The Supreme Moroccan Ulema Council in Europe “strongly condemns the decision by the Cologne court on the question of circumcision,” the statement said. “The Council believes the verdict is a violation of the freedom of religion and contributes to the demonisation of Muslims and Jews in Germany.”
The court ruled that the child’s right to physical integrity has precedence over the freedom of religion and parents’ rights.
The ruling was denounced by Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Protestants as a violation of religious freedoms but some legal experts say its intention is to delay, not ban, circumcision.
It was denounced by the head of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, Dieter Graumann. The case regarded a doctor accused of carrying out a parent-approved circumcision on a 4-year-old that led to medical complications.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle responded to the outcry by saying a legal debate “must not lead to doubts arising internationally about religious tolerance in Germany.”
Muslims and Jews commonly circumcise their male newborns.
Circumcision is a “religious ritual, an act of faith transmitted by parents that is guaranteed by all European laws and all the conventions of human rights,” the Supreme Moroccan Ulema Council in Europe said in its statement.