Historically, male circumcision was practised among ancient Semitic people including Egyptians and those of Jewish faith, with the earliest records depicting circumcision on Egyptian temple and wall paintings dating from around 2300 BC.
The commandment to circumcise was a covenant made with Abraham and is recorded in Genesis 17:10–14, reading: 'And God spoke to Abraham saying: … This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and thy seed after you — every male child among you shall be circumcised.
Male circumcision is the oldest known human surgical procedure, with historical records and archeological evidence dating the practice back to ancient Egyptians in the 23rd century BCE [1].
Circumcision was enjoined upon the biblical patriarch Abraham, his descendants and their slaves as "a token of the covenant" concluded with him by God for all generations, an "everlasting covenant" (Genesis 17:13), thus it is commonly observed by two (Judaism and Islam) of the Abrahamic religions.
For Muslims, male circumcision is performed for religious reasons, mainly to follow the sunnah (practice) of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Moreover, there are attempts to label it as a contributor to cleanliness / personal hygiene. These are done largely to grant the practice scientific legitimacy and a moral foundation.
It has long been the belief of Muslims that an uncircumcised male is unclean and that the foreskin may harbour disease. Some Muslim jurists have ruled that marriage to an uncircumcised male is void and that such a person cannot be buried in a Muslim cemetery.
The Quran itself does not mention circumcision explicitly in any verse. In the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, both male and female circumcision were carried out by Pagan Arabian tribes, and male circumcision by the Jewish tribes of Arabia for religious reasons.
Catholic theology since the Second Vatican Council has increasingly emphasized that God's covenant with the Jewish people remains valid. It has never been revoked. This covenant includes infant male circumcision.
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.
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.
A baby who is not circumcised has a one in 100 chance of getting a UTI in the first year of life. A slightly lower risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV. A lower risk of cancer of the penis. However, this is very rare in both circumcised and uncircumcised men.
The CDC researchers estimated total circumcision prevalence to be 80.5% (Table 1). Racial differences were apparent: Prevalence was 90.8% in non-Hispanic white, 75.7% in non-Hispanic black, and 44.0% in Mexican American males.
But what is also widely agreed upon by both biblical accounts and contemporary evidence is that the Greeks loathed circumcision, with Greek art emphasizing the purity of the human form and the inclusion of foreskins on males. As the Greeks spread their influence in the ancient world, circumcision became less common.
Historically, male circumcision was practised among ancient Semitic people including Egyptians and those of Jewish faith, with the earliest records depicting circumcision on Egyptian temple and wall paintings dating from around 2300 BC.
Christianity and circumcision
In the Old Testament circumcision is clearly defined as a covenant between God and all Jewish males. Circumcision is not laid down as a requirement in the New Testament. Instead, Christians are urged to be "circumcised of the heart" by trusting in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.
Rates vary widely, from over 90% in Israel and many Muslim-majority countries, 86.3% in South Korea, to 80% in the United States, to 58% in Australia, to 45% in South Africa, to 20.7% in the United Kingdom, to under 1% in Japan and Honduras.
While circumcision is not observed by the majority of Christians in most parts of the Christian world and mainstream Christian denominations do not require circumcision, it is still practiced among some Christian communities.
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.
How common are Circumcision? 30% of men are circumcised Worldwide. In Ireland, that number is even lower, and this is generally thought to be a result of embarrassment.
Most Christian faiths, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have no formal position on the procedure. In fact, the Book of Mormon specifically states that the law of circumcision "is done away" in Christ.
Circumcision is routinely performed in Muslim and Jewish cultures; however Muslims perform circumcision at age 6, whereas Jews perform it immediately after birth.
Male Circumcision in Islam
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was instructed by God in the Quran to follow the religion of Abraham (peace be upon him) and related that the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) circumcised himself when he was eighty years old.
About one-third of males worldwide are circumcised, although the prevalence of circumcision varies significantly by country and culture.
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.
The first mention of circumcision is in Genesis 17. God appears before Abraham and promises that his descendants will become a great nation and inherit the land. The price for this covenant is that Abraham must circumcise the males of his household, and his descendants must all undergo the ritual too.