Germany - Circumcision Ruling Opposed - NYTimes.com Jewish and Muslim groups from across Europe on Thursday called on Germany to protect the right to circumcise boys after a Cologne court ruled that the practice amounts to bodily harm. "Circumcision is an ancient ritual that is fundamental to our individual faiths, and we protest in the strongest possible terms this court ruling," said a statement signed by European Jewish and Muslim leaders. The June 26 court decision applies only to the Cologne court's jurisdiction, but it has created legal uncertainty. Germany's Medical Association warned doctors not to carry out circumcisions for religious reasons until the ruling was clarified.