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| Southeast Asia |
| Malaysia moots cross-cultural circumcision |
| 2003-12-17 |
| Circumcision is a rite of passage for young Muslim boys, and in Malaysia it is common for the ceremony to become an event with dozens, or even hundreds of boys being circumcised together. Now there’s a picture only Michael Jackson could love. Now the prime minister’s religious affairs adviser has suggested that circumcision can bring Malaysians of all races and religions together. Yeah, they all grabbed their crotch on hearing this. Dr Abdul Hamid Othman said that with the growing popularity of circumcision among the country’s non-Muslim minorities - who see it as good hygienic practice - they too could be invited to join in the celebrations with their Muslim friends. He believes the idea could promote better race relations and he wants to see a nationwide circumcision ceremony organised. Boy, I can’t wait to read the comments on this post. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #9 How's that go? Pride goeth before something. :-) |
| Posted by: .com 2003-12-17 3:36:01 PM |
| #8 Circumcision parties? Let 'em. No skin off my fore. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-12-17 3:16:52 PM |
| #7 ...dozens, or even hundreds of boys being circumcised together. I wish Belushi were still alive... |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-12-17 2:57:12 PM |
| #6 oh Puhleeze - not a circumcision debate!!!! LH - who is happy his parents followed the way of Abraham, and will gladly fight anyone who thinks he's "mutilated" :) [jewish male baby rant] |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-12-17 2:45:45 PM |
| #5 So, didja hear the one about the mohel who had a store-front office with a nice shop window? He put a clock in the window and thought it looked pretty good. A friend asks him, "Moshe, why in the world do you put a clock in your window?" The mohel says, "So what do you want me to put in the window?" |
| Posted by: MW 2003-12-17 1:42:45 PM |
| #4 BH - *snort* -- COFFEE ALERT -- What a mess! 8^) [male baby rant] "celebrations" Gag. Humans do all sorts of weird shit. Some of it makes sense. Some doesn't. Presenting the "trimmings" strikes me as possibly one of those that, uh, doesn't. Sheesh. Talk about fucked up. That qualifies. In spades. As does the idea that whacking foreskin in newborn males would have any effect on race relations. Yeah? How, pray tell? National ceremony, indeed. How, um, fitting. If done for any reason other than practical considerations such as health, no matter who promotes it, it's ooga-booga BS and simple body mutilation. Humans. Sigh. [/male baby rant] |
| Posted by: .com 2003-12-17 12:10:17 PM |
| #3 I heard penal circumcision is most common among young males... /Journalist |
| Posted by: mjh 2003-12-17 11:05:39 AM |
| #2 I've read somewhere that circumcision is the third-holiest penis-related ceremony in Islam. |
| Posted by: BH 2003-12-17 11:00:18 AM |
| #1 Does Dr. Othman think there is something particularly Muslim about circumcision? The public hospital in this garden-variety US town routinely circumcises newborns before they get out of the delivery room. RC hospitals tend to do likewise. Some places bottle the trimmings and present them to the proud parents as a keepsake. Of course, Jews have circumcised 8-day-old boys for centuries. They make a big affair out of it. The Brits call on the London Jewish community to provide a mohel when a boy is born into the Royal Family. |
| Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds) 2003-12-17 9:56:17 AM |