Circumcision an overview : no specific recommendation for circumcision in the Quran

Circumcision: an overview

.

From a MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE. Though circumcision can be prescribed in rare cases to treat a special medical condition like phimosis or a penile infection, most doctors feel that the potential benefits of circumcision are not great enough to recommend routine circumcision for the general population. Also, many argue that routine circumcision of young children should be made illegal as it violates the medical ethics of informed consent to elective surgery. No one owns another person’s body, and adults have no right to impose nonessential genital alteration on a child who is incapable of granting consent.

From a JEWISH PERSPECTIVE. Male circumcision was practised by Jews as a religious rite (bris) as part of the “Abrahamic covenant” (Gen 17:9-25 and Exod 4:25). Clearly, male genital mutilation, a ‘signature’ for being a Jewish man, was glorified in patriarchal Judaism as a token of men’s authority over women and Jewish supremacy over non-Jews. Even some Rabbinic sources used the pejorative term uncircumcised (arelim) as a linguistic marker for the Philistines and heathens to describe them as impure (cf. 1 Sam 14:6, 31:4; cf. story of the hundred foreskin dowry, 1 Sam 18:25-27).

From an ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE. Since there is no specific recommendation for circumcision in the Quran, it cannot be considered as Islamic. The Quran cautions against the risk of misguidance by some of the previous ‘Abrahamic’ traditions (3:100, 5:15, 5:48-51) as it endorses or confirms only those important elements of the earlier scriptures that remained valid as timeless universal values (3:3; cf. 5:46). Now, instead of endorsing or confirming the Jewish practice of circumcision, it appears that the Quran deliberately bypasses it as either inappropriate or irrelevant (cf. 5:15). Furthermore, while defining human body as a creation with a divinely perfected design (40:64, 4:119, 64:3; cf. 13:8, 25:2, 32:7, 82:6-9, 95:4), the Quran condemns ritualistic mutilation of living creatures as a superstitious, devilish act that ‘corrupts God’s creation’ (4:119, 4:118-120). Evidently, circumcision is one of those obvious examples of traditional Judaeo-Christian imports that deeply penetrated Islam through the backdoor of unreliable secondary sources in the guise of sunnah and remained there unscrutinized till modern days. Thus, while one may choose it due to one’s personal understanding or to gain specific health benefits, it doesn’t form in any way part of a Muslim’s religious duties.

From a SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE. Routine circumcision of boys and girls is nothing but genital mutilation, based on ancient cultural traditions and superstitions adapted within organized religions. Both unnatural and intellectually absurd, and a violation of genital integrity, this pagan practice has so powerfully conditioned overtime the minds of practising millions that any success of a legislation to incriminate it as child abuse may remain uncertain for many years.
.
stricker
😈😈

Further reading:
Should we recommend circumcision?