Circumcision And The Three Samawi Religions

Islam And Male Circumcision

Muslims are still the largest single religious group to circumcise boys. In Islam circumcision is also known as tahara, meaning purification.Islam and male circumcision.
Circumcision is not mentioned in the Qur'an but it is highlighted in the Sunnah (the Prophet Muhammad's recorded words and actions). In the Sunnah, Muhammad stated that circumcision was a "law for men and a preservation of honour for women."
The main reason given for the ritual is cleanliness. It is essential that every Muslim washes before praying. It is important that no urine is left on the body.
Muslims believe the removal of the foreksin makes it easier to keep the penis clean because urine can't get trapped there.
Supporters of circumcision also argue that excrements may collect under the foreskin which may lead to fatal diseases such as cancer.
Some Muslims see circumcision as a preventive measure against infection and diseases.

Belonging

For the majority of Muslims, circumcision is seen as an introduction to the Islamic faith and a sign of belonging.
In Islam there is no fixed age for circumcision. The age at which it is performed varies depending on family, region and country.
The preferred age is often seven although some Muslims are circumcised as early as the seventh day after birth and as late as puberty.
There is no equivalent of a Jewish 'mohel' in Islam. Circumcisions are usually carried out in a clinic or hospital. The circumciser is not required to be a Muslim but he must be medically trained.
In some Islamic countries circumcision is performed after Muslim boys have recited the whole of the Qur'an from start to finish.
In Malaysia, for example, the operation is a puberty rite that separates the boy from childhood and introduces him to adulthood.

An essential practice

Circumcision is not compulsory in Islam but it is an important ritual aimed at improving cleanliness. It is strongly encouraged but not enforced.
The ritual dates back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad. According to tradition Muhammad was born without a foreskin (aposthetic). Some Muslims who practise circumcision see it as a way of being like him.
Circumcision was also practised by past prophets.
Dr Bashir Quereshi, author of Transcultural Medicine, explains: "Every Muslim is expected to follow the way and the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, all Muslims - devouts, liberals or seculars - observe this ritual. Muslim are obliged to follow not only Allah's message in the Holy Qur'an but also what the Prophet said or did, as proof of their dedication to Islam."
Traditionally, adult converts to Islam were encouraged to undergo the operation but this practice is not universally endorsed, particularly if the procedure poses a health risk.

Source: BBC.CO.UK - August 13, 2009

******

Jewish Groups Oppose Circumcision Ban In US City

Jewish groups and others are up at arms over an attempt to outlaw male circumcision in San Francisco by putting the issue to a popular vote.
Self-described "intactivist" Lloyd Schofield has been collecting signatures for a voter initiative that would criminalize infant circumcision in the Californian city.
After two months of collecting names, he claims to be more than half way toward getting the 7,168 signatures he needs by late April to put the matter on the November ballot.
Schofield and a growing community of anti-circumcision activists say that infants should not be forced to participate in what is essentially culturally accepted genital mutilation.
They claim that the procedure can cause health risks and diminished sexual function and compare it to the clitoridectomies performed on girls in parts of Africa.
"This is a human rights issue," he said. "What you're doing is you're taking an infant and removing the most sensitive part of their body."
Jewish organizations have pledged to fight the measure should it be placed on the ballot. Anti-Defamation League director Daniel Sandman called Schofield's effort discriminatory and misguided.
"This is hurtful and offensive to people in the community who consider this a coveted ritual," he said.
Abby Porth of the Jewish Community Relations Council charged Schofield with wasting city resources for an inappropriate political stunt that was unlikely to become law.
"This is one of the most fundamental practices to our tradition of over 3,000 years," she said. "It's symbolic of our covenant with God."
Porth said the Jewish community would form a coalition against the initiative with medical professionals and Muslims, who also practice circumcision.
"It's very similar to those of the Jewish faith," said Omar Nawaz of the Bay Area-based Zaytuna College, one of the nation's only Muslim colleges. "It's a religious tradition and it's important for us."
Both pro- and anti-circumcision advocates make health claims, but the medical research does not firmly support either position.
The American Academy of Pediatrics holds that there are both benefits and risks to infant circumcision, and recommends that parents make the choice for themselves.
Several other health bodies are reviewing the evidence on circumcision with an eye to new policy recommendations.
Circumcision rates among US male infants have dropped in recent decades, but more than half of newborns are still circumcised, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
If the ban is approved, those caught cutting the foreskins of infants and other minors would face up to a year in jail and up to $1,000 in fines.
The ban would certainly face legal challenges, and could be found in violation of the First Amendment right to Freedom of Religion. However, it would not be subject to legislative amendment. California's unique voter initiative system allows residents to place virtually anything on the ballot so long as they secure the requisite signatures. Many of California's most controversial and restrictive policies have been passed this way, among them a drastic reduction in property taxes and a ban on gay marriage. San Francisco resident Mark Reiss, who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home, is among a vocal community of circumcised men who say they struggle with the emotional and physical effects of circumcision. He runs a website that lists rabbis nationwide who will preside over a naming ritual similar to the one performed at Jewish circumcisions but with no cutting. Schofeld said that the issue is not one of cultural practice, but of individual freedom. "This is a painful and irreversible surgery," Schofield said. "It's a man's body. It's his right to choose and we're trying to preserve that choice."

Source: Yahoo - March 5, 2011

******

Bible And Circumcision

*And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac,
and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.
Acts 7:8 (King James Version)
*Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing,
but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
 1 Corinthians 7:19 (New King James Version)
*And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed,
to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live
Deuteronomy 30:6 (K J V).
*Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son,
and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.
Exodus 4:25 (K J V)
*A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover
must have all the males in his household circumcised;
then he may take part like one born in the land.
No uncircumcised male may eat it.
Exodus 12:48 (New International Version) 
*in admitting foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, to be in my sanctuary, profaning my temple,
when you offer to me my food, the fat and the blood.
You have broken my covenant, in addition to all your abominations.
Ezekiel 44:7 (English Standard Version) 
Not Circumcision But The New Creation
*Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.
*As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised;
only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
*For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised,
that they may glory in your flesh.
*But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
*For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
*And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. 
Galatians 6: 1-16 (K J V) 
The Covenant Of Circumcision
*And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him,
I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
*And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
*And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
*As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
*Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham;
for a father of many nations have I made thee.
*And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee,
and kings shall come out of thee.
*And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee
in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee,
and to thy seed after thee.
*And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger,
all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.
*And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou,
and thy seed after thee in their generations.
*This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee;
Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
*And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
*And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations,
he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
*He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised:
and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
*And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised,
that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Genesis 17: 1-14 (K J V)
*On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household
or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.
*Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,
*and his son Ishmael was thirteen;
*Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that very day.
*And every male in Abraham’s household, including those born in his household
or bought from a foreigner, was circumcised with him.
Genesis 17: 23-27 (N I V)
*When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him.
Genesis 21:4 (N I V)
*Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers;)
and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
*If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken;
are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
John 7:22-23 (K J V)
*And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward,
and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea,
heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel,
until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more,
because of the children of Israel.
Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal
*At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives,
and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
*And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.
*And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.
*Now all the people that came out were circumcised:
but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt,
them they had not circumcised.
*For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness,
till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed,
because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD:
unto whom the LORD sware that he would not shew them the land,
which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us,
a land that floweth with milk and honey.
*And their children, whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised:
for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
*And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people,
that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.
Joshua 5: 1-8 (K J V)
*And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
Leviticus 12:3 (K J V)
*Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy,
and they shared her joy.
*On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child,
and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,
*but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
*They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.
Luke 1:58-61 (New International Version, ©2011)
*For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker,
your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
*Therefore if an uncircumcised man keeps the law's requirements,
will his uncircumcision not be counted as circumcision?
*A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law,
will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter [of the law] and circumcision.
*For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly,
and [true] circumcision is not something visible in the flesh.
*On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly,
and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter.
His praise is not from men but from God.
Romans 2:25-30 Holman Christian Standard Bible)
*Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also?
for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
*How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision?
Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
*And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith
which he had yet being uncircumcised:
that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised;
that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
*And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only,
but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham,
which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Romans 4:9-12 (K J V)

***Amorites are people living in what is now southern Turkey and Syria
***Canaan is the place where Prophets Ishak and Ya'kub 'alaihas salam lived.
***Corinthians, Deuteronomy, Galatiansand, Genesis and Leviticus came earlier before bible.
***Ezekiel is Prophet Dzulkifli 'alaihis salam.
***John is Prophet Yahya a.s.
***Joshua is Prophet Yusha' a.s.
***Zipporah (Safurah) is the daughter of Prophet (Jethro) Syu'aib a.s., wife of Prophet (Moses) Musa a.s.

Re-Examining Godly Respect And Livelihood

Celebrating God As Their Harvest Provider

Crops are carried on Sunday from Pasir Eurih village to Sindang Barang village, Bogor, West Java, to celebrate the Sundanese annual tradition of Seren Taun Guru Bumi or thanking God for the harvest.

  
Seren Taun: Seren Taun---People march during the Seren Taun traditional ceremony at Oasir Eurih village, Bogor, on Saturday. 
Celebrating Seren Taun in respect of God as their harvest provider, has been avoided due to bad weather and pests.(JP/Nurhayati)

Source:The Jakarta Post - January 23 And January 22, 2011

Seren Taun - Varities of harvest of farmers in Pasir Eurih to Sindang Barang Village in Taman Sari, Bogor.

Source: Surya - January 23, 2011

****** 

Nepal's "Living Goddess" Passes School Leaving Exam

The living goddess ''Kumari '' Chanira Bajracharya, 15, is worshipped by her parents after she passed her high school leaving certificate examination at her residence in Patan July 3, 2010. The Nepali girl revered by many as a ''living goddess'' has become the first sitting deity to pass the high school leaving certificate exam, setting her on course for a career in banking.

Credit: Reuters/Shruti Shrestha

By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU (Reuters Life!) - Perhaps divine intervention helped.
A Nepali girl revered by many as a "living goddess" has become the first sitting deity to pass the high school leaving certificate exam, setting her on course for a career in banking.
Chanira Bajracharya, 15, called Kumari, was among nearly half a million children who took the exams in March. The results were declared late on Friday.
"She scored 80.12 percent marks in the exam," said Abha Awale, a teacher who gave private tuitions to the girl in her temple as she is not allowed to mingle with outsiders.
"This is a distinction (top grade)," she said.
Bajracharya has already scored high marks among devotees in the ancient town of Patan, south of Kathmandu, where she rides in decorated chariots 18 times year during Hindu and Buddhist festivals. She has been Kumari of Patan for nine years now.
Relatives and friends gathered outside Bajracharya's red brick house on Saturday to greet the Kumari with folded hands.
Bajracharya, who has a third eye painted on her forehead, told Reuters in a rare interview in April she wanted to study commerce or accounting and work in banking.
Former Kumaris, considered incarnations of the Hindu goddess Kali, have gone on to work or got married after they retired, which is usually at the onset of puberty.
Girls from Kathmandu's Newar community are chosen by Buddhist priests to serve as "living goddesses," and confined to temples in the three ancient cities of the Kathmandu valley.
Critics say the centuries-old tradition denies them a normal life and leaves them unprepared to face real life after retirement.
Two years ago, Nepal's Supreme Court ordered the government to ensure basic healthcare and education for the Kumaris.
Early this week, the Nepali government raised by a quarter the maintenance allowance provided to the Kumari and said it would bear the expenses for her education. 

Souce: Reuters - July 3, 2010 

Read More: Nepal's "Living Goddess" Gets A Pay Rise 

Why The Nose And Ear?

Crazy World: Man Cuts Off Wife's Ears, Nose... 

Husband slashes wife's ears, nose
 
(AGENCY)
MAHARASHTRA, INDIA: A retired soldier slashed the nose and ears of his wife as he suspected his spouse of committing adultery. The gruesome case of domestic violence spread shock among the people in the Indian state of Maharashtra, reports television channel NDTV.
The victim, a school teacher, was badly beaten up by him as well. She has been admitted in a hospital.
The husband has been arrested after a case was registered against him.
Police say the husband suspected the victim of adultery, and hence, resorted to 'drastic measures'.

Source: Emirates 247 January 17, 2011

******

The crime is stated to be common in areas where centuries-old tribal and feudal traditions exist. 

Is it being carried out by Asians only? Definitely not.

It's not only when affair of the heart matters, but livelihood too.

This is definitely not any religious order, as assumed by many. 

Legal Witchcraft

My mind boggles to read as from Saturday, Romania has officially recognise witchcraft as a profession, part of the government's drive to crack down on widespread tax evasion in recession time.

Witchcraft is popular in Romania, the homeland of Dracula, as many local folks believe in the occult.




A month ago, the above Mircea Geoana, a top contender for the Romanian presidency was said to be zapped out by a shadowy parapsychologist enlisted by his rival.
He asserted that he had been targeted by waves of negative energy during a key debate just before the run-off and a "negative energy attack" led to his narrow loss to re-elected President Traian Basescu.
Mihaela, his wife claimed he "was very badly attacked, he couldn't concentrate", and Romanians mocked the former foreign minister, saying he was a bad loser.

But the recent publication of photos showing well-known parapsychologist Aliodor Manolea - his specialities include deep mind control, clairvoyance and hypnotic trance, was close to the President during his re-election campaign has caused Romanians to wonder whether he really did put a hex on his rival.

It has since been the talk of the nation when the daily Evenimentul Zilei wrote in an editorial, "The Evil Witch defeated Geoana."

Romania's former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu abolished psychology departments across the country as he was said to be terrified of even traditional psychologists.
He feared the threat to communism that he even banned the word from the official dictionary.
Then in 1982, he staged a crackdown against people, and dismissing scores of officials who were allegedly practicing transcendental meditation.

******

In 2007, Judge Elena Simionescu was relieved of her position as court president and salary reduced for three months, of not only "misplaced" an important court document, but was accused of being a witch - alleged by court staff, judges and prosecutors, to perform rituals of splashing water, mud and "other liquids", as well as salt and pepper, on fellow judges' desks.
The practice was said as an attempt to bewitch and tried to cast spells on them, creating a conflicting atmosphere during her term as a president of the court in Vatra Dornei, in eastern Romania.

She denied the accusations, telling investigators, "I splash my colleagues' desks with holy water every day, in the spirit of good Christians' rituals."
But a local lawyer claimed she had many quarrels with people working in the court, and they were all convinced that she was casting spells.
Inspectors investigating the complaint concluded that Judge Simionescu used "unorthodox methods with her court colleagues and maintained a constant tension by using occult practices and witchcraft".

******

31-year-old Gabriela Ciucur is Romania's first legal witch, after she registered a company dealing with "astrology and contacts with the spiritual world" after months of negotiations with the government that finally introduced witchcraft as a legal occupation.
Gabriela attends up to seven people each day and charges her clients about US$13 to see into their future lives, to unravel what's in the stars and to get them in touch with the spirits of loved ones. Superstitious it may seemed, but belief in the paranormal spawned some unusual practices up to recent times.

A witch called Bratara had, on Saturday, planned to cast a spell using black pepper and yeast to create discord in the government over the recent tax implementation.

The Food Story - Can You Stomach These?

Rotten Shark Delicacy

Eythor Halldorsson's restaurant prepares months-old rotten shark for you.

The decomposed shark flesh is a delicacy in Iceland, where the traditional menu is as wild as the country of volcanoes and icy waters.
AFP report that the dish, called hakarl, is sealed in a jar - "to stop the aroma from escaping". The aroma is between ammonia and blue cheese.
So is the taste, accompanied by fishy texture and a burning fizz on the tongue.

Iceland, the island of just 317,000 people under the Arctic Circle abounds with fresh, organic food, nearly all of it having to be caught, fished or shot.

The shark is first buried under gravel for two months to drain acids produced by the animal's urine, then hung up for another long spell.

Old ways are being rekindled.

******

Pizza In Naples May Be Baked Using Coffin Wood
(File picture of a policeman searching a coffin in Naples caskets to keep ovens burning.) 

ROME : Italian prosecutors believe pizza in the southern city of Naples may be baked in ovens lit with wood from coffins dug up from the local cemetery, Italian daily Il Giornale reported.

"Pizza, one of the few symbols of Naples that resists... is hit by the concrete suspicion that it could be baked with wood from coffins," Il Giornale said.

Investigators in Naples are setting their sights on the thousands of small, lower-end pizza shops and bakeries that dot the city on suspicion that patrons may "use wood from Naples' graveyard has long been hunting ground for thieves.
Last year, 5,000 flower pots were stolen from the cemetery.

"A gang might have set up a market for coffins sold to hard-hearted owners of bakeries and pizzerias looking to save money on wood," Il Giornale said.

Neapolitan pizza was invented between 1715 and 1725, with the world-famous Margherita variant first cooked up in 1889.

Tradition has it that queen Margherita of Savoy asked one of Naples' famed pizzaioli to come up with a dish for the people.
The result, which provides the basis for most pizzas enjoyed around the world, represented the colours of recently unified Italy: green basil, white mozzarella and red tomatoes.

AFP report, Italy's estimated 25,000 pizzerias employ around 150,000 people and account for a turnover of 5.3 billion euros (6.5 billion dollars).