THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A row over circumcision has spread to Austria from Germany after a state governor advised doctors against performing the procedure, even when it is on religious grounds.
Markus Wallner, centre-right state premier of Vorarlberg, said the instructions followed a controversial June ruling by a court in the German city of Cologne that equated circumcision of young boys with grievous bodily harm.
That verdict provoked uproar from religious and political leaders in Israel as well as Muslim countries, with Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly saying it risked making Germany a "laughing stock".
Wallner's move meanwhile was slammed as an "attack on religious freedom" by Fuat Sanac, head of the Islamic Community of Austria (IGGiOe), according to comments due to be published in Wednesday's Der Standard daily. Read on and comment » | Tuesday, July 24, 2012
It has also hit Switzerland
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Hospitals in Austria and Switzerland suspend circumcision: Hospitals in Austria and Switzerland have banned circumcisions on infant boys citing a German court ruling that it could amount to bodily harm. » | Wednesday, July 25, 2012
