I believe that genital mutilation is wrong, boys and girls alike - perhaps I'm wrong and SM is right, but that's besides the point I'm raising.

Many things we do are wrong. The problem with this article is the all-too-common assertion as if the fact that practice X is wrong permits the king/state to outlaw it, as if the king or state has any authority (and true wisdom) to tell right from wrong.

Talking about wrongdoing, one of the worst things we do is to create states, hand our personal power over to them, then allow them to use violence to enforce our collective ideas of right-and-wrong over others who never in the first place consented to be subject to those states, only because they too happen to live on this same planet or a specific geographical area thereof. One cannot get much wronger than that.

How much worse still when religion is involved, when people have the insolence to claim that their state knows better than God (or at least better than other people's gods)!

Then to argue against parents' authority over their children, while holding onto the idea of state's authority, is ultimate hypocrisy. The Jewish expression is of "one who takes a purifying ablution while still holding the unclean animal in his hand".

At least one can argue, as do the Eastern religions, that a baby gets to choose his/her parents, in order that they will best serve his/her religious progress, hence parents are in the best position to decide what's good for their baby. While you may not agree with the above, you should at least give parents' authority the benefit of the doubt over the state's, since nobody ever claimed the same about states (as if a baby chooses the state where they are to be born, rather than their parents). Nothing, of course, stops you from having the private opinion that the parents' actions are wrong.

The state has a duty to protect its citizens. A child is a citizen.

No state has a duty to protect those who never sought its protection.

Assuming neither the child nor his/her parents (not even one of them) wanted or even consented to be citizens of the state, the state acts just like any other mafia in appropriating and "protecting" what it deems to be its "citizens" against their will as well as against perceived "threats" which their victims never wished to be protected against. Who are they but a bunch of bandits?!

I also believe genital mutilation is wrong. However, male Circumcision is not considered mutilation by any other than a handful of ill informed activists.

P.S. I am off to mutilate my hands by clipping my nails.

Circumcision is on a par with docking a dogs tail, totally unnecessary and cruel abuse of a living being.

Dear Kipp,

<<Circumcision is on a par with docking a dogs tail, totally unnecessary and cruel abuse of a living being.>>

I happen to agree. Nevertheless I will fight tooth-and-nail till my last breath to allow Shadow-Minister, who believes otherwise, to do as he believes with his own children.