The article “Bundesrat will gefährliche Rituale stoppen” details the Bundesrat’s goal of passing legislation that will outlaw female circumcision and forced marriages, even when they occur outside of the boundaries of the Federal Republic. Although female circumcision is already on the books as illegal in Germany, the act is punishable under “bodily harm” and not as “a violation of human rights” as it is on the international level.
I think that this is an interesting article to read in light of current debates on what rituals and practices are to be tolerated in the Federal Republic and Europe at large. Recent debates over the wearing of burqa’s and other Islamic practices have been hot issues in Europe, and although there is a clear and undeniable difference between female circumcision and the wearing of a burqa both issues must be looked at in light of how we understand and accept foreign rituals in modern-day society.
