Most ritual circumcisions in Norway are performed on boys less than one year old, often soon after birth. If a boy who is to be circumcised has reached an age and level of maturity which enables them to understand the information about the operation, the boy himself must be given the information.
Jews would 'cease to exist'
Male circumcision is seen by most Jews as crucial to their religion, and most Muslims also perform the operation. Yet Norway's Jewish and Muslim populations are relatively small, and the procedure is carried out on some 2,000 boys a year only - less than 1 percent of all Norwegian boys.
Like all Christian European nations, Sweden does not practice male circumcision. Muslim and Jewish immigrants, however, have brought their circumcision practices into Sweden. This clash of cultures has created tension and conflict between Swedish human rights principles and the blood rites of foreign religions.
Among the non-circumcising nations are Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia, the U.S.S.R. , China, and Japan. People employing circumcision do so either for "health" reasons or as a religious ritual practiced by Muslims, Jews, most black Africans, non-white Australians, and others.
Circumcision is judged to have become medicalised, having been a purely religious rite. However, only about 40 Jewish boys are circumcised in Sweden each year, which is less than 50%, compared with about 3000 Muslim boys.
Back in the 1950s, roughly 80 per cent of Australian men and boys were circumcised. That rate has steadily decreased and now, around 20 per cent of Australian newborns are circumcised. This is largely due to developments in modern medicine.
France (14%)
In France, according to a telephone survey (TNS Sofres Institute, 2008), 14% of men are circumcised.
European countries consider newborn circumcision an unnecessary surgical procedure which increases the costs of operating nationalised health systems, whereas in the US, circumcision is generally considered a simple, rapid operation with medical benefits which accrue throughout life.
In Japan, routine male circumcision has never been implemented for newborns and children, and adult males are mostly circumcised at aesthetic clinics. However, media reports indicate a trend of Japanese mothers willing to have their sons circumcised.
In Denmark (~5% circumcised), we examined associations of male circumcision with a range of sexual measures in both sexes.
It is estimated that about 1,000-2,000 boys are circumcised in Denmark every year. The vast majority come from Muslim and Jewish families.
Two hundred and thirty-three men (16.6%) reported having been circumcised; 32.3% had been circumcised before they were 1 year old and, overall, 73.1% by the age of 18 years.
As in all other European countries, male circumcision is uncommon in Italy, a country with a strong Catholic heritage that values and promotes the integrity of the human body.
The rate of circumcision in Muslim nations is between 90 and 100 percent. This includes the Christians who form a significant part of some Arab states.
The prevalence of circumcision varies widely in western countries led by the USA (71 per cent), New Zealand (33 per cent), Australia (27 per cent), the UK (21 per cent), France (14 per cent), Germany (11 per cent), Sweden (5 per cent), Italy (3 per cent) and Ireland (1 per cent).
Circumcision is not practiced among Italy's Roman Catholic majority. Many immigrants in Italy are Muslim and practice circumcision for cultural and religious reasons, but sometimes have trouble accessing the practice in hospitals. For some, the hospital costs are too high.
Amish who do not practice circumcision have a low rate of autism. Somali immigrants in Sweden practice circumcision and have a high rate of autism compared to Swedish children.
The data came from various countries in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. The authors found that the “vast majority of studies” concluded that women prefer circumcised penises. Even in countries where circumcision was not the norm, a majority of women found circumcised men more attractive.
With the exception of the commemoration of the circumcision of Jesus in accordance with Jewish practice, circumcision has not been part of Catholic practice.
In China, the nation with the largest population in the world, circumcision is generally treated as a selective medical intervention to treat some diseases; only 2.66% of males have been circumcised, and EIMC is not a traditional practice, except among Muslims, who account for < 3% of the population [14].
Slavic Russians are not usually circumcised. Most non-Jewish Russians don't really think much about circumcision. In terms of cleanliness, I should mention that many men are not really good with washing under their foreskins and it creates a very awful smell. Men who are circumcised don't have to worry about that.
Eventually, the foreskin should be retracted far enough during urination to see the meatus (the hole where the urine comes from). This prevents urine from building up beneath the foreskin and possibly causing an infection. As long as the foreskin doesn't easily retract, only the outside needs to be cleaned.
"Certainly in Australia we believe the benefits of circumcision don't outweigh the risks." He said the kinds of illnesses circumcision may help prevent are not common in Australia and are mostly a product of social factors, not foreskin length.
Up until the early 1970s the procedure was routinely carried out for new-born boys, usually within a few days after birth. Today, the procedure is performed less commonly in New Zealand (estimated at less than 10% of boys), mostly for social, cultural or religious reasons.