History of circumcisionCircumcision likely has ancient roots among several ethnic groups in sub-equatorial Africa, Egypt, and Arabia, though the specific form and extent of circumcision has varied. Ritual male circumcision is known to have been practiced by South Sea Islanders, Aboriginal peoples of Australia, Sumatrans, Incas, Aztecs, Mayans and Ancient Egyptians. Today it is still practiced by Jews, Muslims, Coptic Christians, Ethiopian Orthodox, Eritrean Orthodox, Druze, and some tribes in East and Southern Africa, as well as in the United States and Philippines.
Brit MilahLa brit milah (בְרִית מִילָה [bə'rī mī'lā] ou [bə'rīs mī'lā] selon la prononciation ashkénaze, « alliance [par la] circoncision ») est un des 613 commandements du judaïsme, réalisé par un péritomiste (mohel) qui excise définitivement le prépuce du pénis, et découvre donc perpétuellement le gland. Il peut parfois aussi enlever tout ou partie du frein du pénis. Ce rite important est traditionnellement pratiqué au huitième jour de vie d’un nouveau-né mâle juif ou lors de la conversion d’un individu au judaïsme.
Ethics of circumcisionMale circumcision is the surgical removal of the foreskin (prepuce) from the human penis. The ethics of circumcision in neonates and children is a source of much controversy. There is substantial disagreement amongst economists, bioethicists, theologians, philosophers, doctors, and political scientists over the practice, with little in the way of a general consensus beyond a belief that routine circumcision of neonates for health purposes is a cost-ineffective and ethically-problematic intervention in developed countries, and that circumcision on a consenting adult is a morally permissible action.
Jacques le JusteJacques (hébreu יעקב / Yacov), surnommé le Juste, Oblias et frère du Seigneur par Hégésippe, Epiphane de Salamine, Eusèbe de Césarée et Paul de Tarse, mort en 61/62, est un Juif de Galilée, l'un des quatre « frères » de Jésus de Nazareth (la signification exacte à donner au mot « frère » restant l'objet de débat parmi les exégètes bibliques) cités dans les évangiles (Mt 13, 55). Actif surtout après la fin du ministère de Jésus, il est le chef de l'Église de Jérusalem et le porte-parole du judéo-christianisme - l'épithète « juste » accolée à son nom faisant référence à sa stricte observance de la Loi juive et en sa foi en Dieu.
Forced circumcisionForced circumcision is the circumcision of men and boys against their will. In a biblical context, the term is used especially in relation to Paul the Apostle and his polemics against the circumcision controversy in early Christianity. Forced circumcisions have occurred in a wide range of situations, most notably in the compulsory conversion of non-Muslims to Islam and the forced circumcision of Teso, Turkana and Luo men in Kenya, as well as the abduction of South African teenage boys to so-called circumcision schools ("bush schools").
Khitan (circumcision)Khitan (ختان) or Khatna (ختنة) is the Arabic term for circumcision, and the Islamic term for the practice of religious male circumcision in Islamic culture. Male circumcision is widespread in the Muslim world, and accepted as an established practice by all Islamic schools of jurisprudence. It is considered a sign of belonging to the wider Muslim community (Ummah). Islamic male circumcision is analogous but not identical to Jewish male circumcision.
AposthiaAposthia is a rare congenital condition in humans, in which the foreskin of the penis is missing. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, E. S. Talbot claimed that aposthia among Jews was evidence for the now-discredited Lamarckian theory of evolution. In his work The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, Charles Darwin also mentioned cases of "born circumcised" babies as "conclusive evidence" for the now-discredited blending inheritance.
