Everyone knows that religion plus politics is a area where only angels dare to tread. And yet, the Center party at its congress today decided to do just that: it will formally and officially work towards making circumcision illegal unless medically necessary.
Circumcision is a religious obligation in two of the dominant world religions, Judaism and Islam. It’s also a widespread practice throughout the western world, and even a hospital union in Beijing (with 50 other hospitals as union members) decided only this April that they too will “popularize” circumcision at all its hospitals as a way to prevent HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (Chinadaily.com).
The Center party has injected itself into this practice to protest the “insult” to a male infant’s integrity. Speakers for the proposal argued that there were aspects to the issue that outweigh freedom of religious expression. In fact, said the Center party’s vice chair Anders W. Jonsson, “the debate wasn’t about religion at all, it took into account a children’s rights perspective and an integrity perspective.”
Though the Center party might say it isn’t about religion, there are a whole lot of others that say it is. Mohamed Temsamani, chairman for the United Islamic Associations of Sweden, stated the the Center party decision limits freedom of religion. Further, “Muslims and Jews,” he said, “aren’t going to stop circumcising their boys. The risk is that people will be forced to do it away from prying eyes in an unsafe manner” reported Expressen. “If this were to go through” said Aron Verständig, chairman of the Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, “it would mean the end of being able to live as a Muslim or a Jew in Sweden” (aftonbladet.se).
Previously, only the Sweden Democrats and the Left party have been opposed to circumcision being legal. Now the Center party is joining their ranks.