child’s proper Hebrew name, the surgery is then performed by stretching the prepuce through an opening in a metal shield, then cutting the projecting skin.
Muslims also perform circumcision for the religious purposes contained in the Hadith, which is a collection of traditions and sayings made by Muhammad. Some Muslims perform this process, called the Khitan, on the child’s 8th day, others between the sixth and eleventh years, and yet others on the thirteenth year of the child’s life.
The process itself entails the elimination of the outer skin or prepuce so that the glans will become exposed for the child’s entire life. In some Muslim countries, no accompanying rituals are observed in the process because some consider the latter to have merely a hygienic purpose.
For Africans, especially those undergoing the Xhosa ceremony, the ritual lasts for several days and involves countless tests and symbolic activities. The circumcision day itself entails the burning of all that the child used during the tests and thereafter burying the removed foreskin.
Since the Ancient Egyptian period, at which time circumcision was first recorded, until the present, the custom of circumcision has achieved notoriety all over the world. In fact, at this time, the debate still continues regarding its safety and moral soundness.
One side of the argument states that circumcision is nothing but an immoral and cruel degradation of the human body. Moreover, since the procedure usually involves young boys, some people consider it both psychologically and physically damaging to the subject. The other side, however, not only proclaims that it is safe and virtually immune from any complication, but also lauds the incident benefits to the subject’s hygiene.
They say that the procedure ensures a young boy’s cleanliness and protects him from diseases caused by accumulated bacteria and other harmful agents in the foreskin. Regardless of the soundness of either argument, it is nevertheless important to be informed about such a controversial and popular su rgical procedure.
