European anti-circumcision activists have lost their battle to ban the ritual that is sacred to Jews and is practiced by Muslims although it is not commanded in the Koran.
Several European countries have been campaigning for several years to ban circumcision based on claims that is violent and that it violates “children’s rights.”
The European Council voted against a proposal to ban circumcision, and opponents settled for a decision that requires those performing circumcisions to be experts and to inform parents of possible dangers.
Meretz Knesset Member Issawi Frej, an Israeli with Arab citizenship, joined the Muslim-Jewish Leadership Council, the Conference of European Rabbis, and Islamic groups who argued against the proposal.
He told the European Council that anyone who opposes circumcision should try to convince people through education and not by coercion.