Is circumcision a hazing ritual?

Naked, covered in white clay mud, and with his penis wrapped in leaves, Abongile Maqegu, 20, sits in a hut in South Africa recovering from his circumcision -- a traditional ritual that can prove fatal. read more

Circumcision is a ritual where one mutilates a baby boy who cannot give his consent and cannot say no. People justify it for many reason, some of which are 'so the child can look like his dad' and 'it's tradition'. read more

Initiations are mostly practiced by the Xhosa tribe in eastern South Africa. Tens of thousands of young men undergo ritual circumcisions every year, according to the South African Medical Association, which urges practitioners to have a male doctor, preferably one who had been through the ritual himself. read more

Circumcision is widely understood by Jews of all shades and persuasions to be a vital Jewish identity ritual, and is consequently a highly emotive issue for Jews who want to distance themselves from tradition. read more