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The German government has backed new legislation aimed at ending a legal dispute over the religious tradition of circumcision.

The cabinet has announced support for proposals that would explicitly allow the practice.

Earlier this year, a regional court ruled that circumcision of newborn boys amounted to assault, prompting protests from Jewish and Muslim organizations.

It also raised fears among some of a resurgence in anti-Semitism in Germany.

The new law will make circumcision explicitly legal, as long as it is carried out by trained experts, and parents are informed of any medical risks.

Many people argue that these conditions are probably already met by the communities involved.

The row over circumcision began in June when a court in Cologne said that the ritual circumcision of a four-year-old Muslim boy, in accordance with his parents’ faith, had caused the child bodily harm.

The case came to court after a doctor carried out the circumcision, and it led to medical complications.

The German Medical Association then told doctors across the country to stop performing the procedure – thousands of Muslim and Jewish boys are circumcised in the country every year.

European Jewish and Muslim groups joined forces to contest the ruling, which they said was “an affront (to) our basic religious and human rights”.

Some rabbis have continued to conduct circumcisions despite the uncertainty caused by the ruling.

Rabbi David Goldberg said: “I continue to circumcise because religion is more important than everything else. For me God is all important – more important than a court.”

However, he admitted the legal limbo had caused him a “sense of anxiety”.

And his wife said their son had suddenly been the subject of unpleasant questioning from other children at school.

Jewish leaders say the row has brought anti-Semitism back to the surface in Germany.

The ruling also renewed debate over the practice in the US, one of the countries where circumcision is most common.

In July, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said the government should try to establish “legal certainty” on the issue.

The proposed legislation is expected to do just that.

The German parliament is expected to pass the law before the end of the year.

 

Jewish and Muslim organizations in Germany have staged a joint protest in Berlin over a regional court’s ruling that the circumcision of young boys constituted bodily harm.

The protest was prompted by the news that a rabbi in Bavaria was being investigated over the practice.

The ruling on circumcision was handed down by a court in Cologne in June.

However, the German government has since announced it will legislate to explicitly legalize the practice.

Jewish and Muslim organizations in Germany have staged a joint protest in Berlin over a regional court's ruling that the circumcision of young boys constituted bodily harm

Jewish and Muslim organizations in Germany have staged a joint protest in Berlin over a regional court's ruling that the circumcision of young boys constituted bodily harm

About a thousand people joined the protest to hear speeches from the chief rabbi of Berlin and other religious leaders.

“I’m here to stand for the freedom of religious rights,” said protester Fereshta Ludin.

The court in Cologne had declared that the ritual circumcision of a Muslim boy, in accordance with his parents’ faith, had caused the child bodily harm.

The German Medical Association then told doctors across the country to stop performing the procedure.

Both Jews and Muslims feel that, whatever the court intended, the ruling will be used as a way of attacking their religions.

On Wednesday, the state government in Berlin announced that circumcision was legal there, as long as it was properly carried out.

The federal government, perhaps in response to international condemnation, has also said it wants to legalize the procedure explicitly.

There has also been renewed debate over the practice in the US, one of the countries where it is most prevalent.

Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a review of scientific evidence on the circumcision, saying that “the health benefits of newborn male circumcision outweigh the risks of the procedure”.

However, the AAP added it did not recommend it for all newborn boys, saying the decision was best left to parents, in consultation with doctors.