Originally published in Arabic and also translated into French, Dr. Aldeeb now makes his landmark study of male and female circumcision available to an English speaking audience. Dr. Aldeeb is an advocate in the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law and leading figure in human rights issues. This major work explores the issues of circumcision in Judaism, Christianity and Islam from all aspects; religious, legal, medical, and social. It serves as both a major reference work for the subject and monumental statement of human rights. The goal of this work
Male and Female Circumcision (كتاب ختان الكور والإنا) is to solve important questions that everyone is interested in but afraid to discuss. This book explores how we divide myth from fact!
Click HERE to read sample chapters from this work!
MPM 5:
Male and Female Circumcision: Among Jews Christians and Muslimsby Dr. Sami A. Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh
ISBN 0-9677201-8-2, $49.95 Cloth Bound
ISBN 0-9677201-6-8, $41.00 Paperback
FOREWORD BY MARILYN FAYRE MILOS
Director of NOCIRC
As civilization advances, we increasingly recognize the value of debate and discussion. In the not so distant past, however, this was not so. Those who questioned the status quo, or merely sought to clarify it, were at risk of being persecuted, ostracized, punished, imprisoned, or condemned to death. One calls to mind the injustice done to men such as William Tyndale, who was incarcerated for 500 days before he was strangled and burned at the stake in 1536. His crime was translating the Bible into English, which, the Church feared, might lead people to question authority. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, was ordered to be burned at Oxford on 21 March 1556 for his desire to reform the Church. On 16 October 1555, Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, and Hugh Latimer, Bishop of Worcester, were also burned at the stake in Oxford for the "heresy" of seeking to revivify a moribund state religion. During the reign of Queen Mary, Bloody Mary, hundreds of innocent people were burnt alive for the crime of independent thought. Latimer's last words at the stake are well known: "Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man, for we shall this day light such a candle in England as I trust by God's grace shall never be put out".
Galileo (1564-1642), great scientific mind of his age, was condemned of heresy for astronomical and mathematical discoveries. In order to escape torture and death, he was forced to sign a confession, abjuring his discoveries and proclaiming the truth in the Church's doctrine that the earth was the center of the universe and that it did not move. Similarly, the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition were visited upon hundreds of thousands of innocent men and women simply because they were suspected of believing something contrary to official doctrine. Thankfully, our society has evolved to a point where the mere idea of heresy is an affront to modern sensibilities. Freedom of conscience is now one of the most highly protected guarantees in Western legal systems. The thought that someone might be persecuted or prosecuted for his or her beliefs is anathema.
Still, there remain those areas where debate and discussion are still feared and actively repressed. Perhaps it is because we pride ourselves on the great progress we have made in the area of social justice that we are loath to admit that there might still be some aspects of our cultures that should be questioned. It is easier to shut our eyes to social injustice than to speak out, ask questions and seek to make this a safer and fairer world. From my own personal experience as a nurse, educator and social activist, I can tell you that the issue of circumcision is one of those topics that still arouses anger, rage and charges of heresy. It is not only religious institutions that have sought to silence those who question this practice; the medical profession, which actively engages, promotes and profits from the circumcision of children, has traditionally been quick to condemn those who dare question official medical dogma.
Dr. Aldeeb has meticulously and sensitively documented the lengthy and fascinating history of the various religious and medical discussions over circumcision. As a world-renown and highly respected scholar, his expertise in Islamic Law provides fresh perspective on an important aspect of the history of circumcision, largely unavailable to Western scholars. As his book carefully proves, debate over circumcision is as old as the practice itself. Official attempts to quell any debate are also of equal antiquity. I am confident, though, that valuable historical information in this book will strengthen current worldwide debate over circumcision and will infuse it with a greater degree of rational and historical perspective.
William Tyndale's last words were: "Lord, open the eyes of the King of England". I believe that Dr. Aldeeb's monumental efforts will measurably contribute to the growing body of evidence that is opening the eyes of the world and helping human society continue its advancement, not only towards a renewed commitment to protecting freedom of conscience, but also towards a recognition that every human being - regardless of his age, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, religion, or any other trait - has a right to bodily integrity, sovereignty over his or her own body and freedom from interference with his or her person.
Marilyn Fayre Milos, Director
National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers
