Circumcision Fear -- The Boys of Erzurum make a run for it You may recall from Circumcision Monologues #2 that "Modern Turkish couples (in the larger cities) have begun opting to have their sons circumcised at birth by a doctor in a hospital setting," But, a majority of traditional Turkish parents still wait until their boys are 'ready to pass into manhood' (usually when they are between the ages of 6 and 9) before subjecting them to the Sünnet Circumcision Ceremony. And if there's any doubt in your mind just how frightening it must be for boys in that latter category -- as their fateful 'day of reckoning' approaches -- then just consider what happened last weekend in Erzurum province... <Paraphrased Quote> About 300 working-class boys from 14 villages connected with Yakutiye Belediyesi of Erzurum were circumcised en masse yesterday in a festival organized for them in the village of Altunbulak. Dignitaries in attendance included an AKP Parliamentarian, and the AKP Mayors of Erzurum and Yakutiye respectively. At first everything went smoothly as the lads had fun dancing the halay (a folk dance performed by holding hands and forming a circle) accompanied by drum and zurna (a reed instrument somewhat like an oboe/clarinet). But as the time for the mass circumcision drew near, the children became increasingly fearful -- and began to give ceremony officials and the local police-team a very hard time. Ten year old Ömer, for example, tried to hide by climbing up a tree. And while ceremony officials were persuading him to come down, the other sünnet-wary boys took off -- running away across an adjacent field. And, it took quite a long time before the (out-of-shape) police team could catch and gather them up again. (See photos above.) But finally, after their lengthy game of 'tag' with police (and under extreme pressure from their parents) the boys gave in -- and were circumcised. <End Quote> The disrupted ceremony in Erzurum marks the second time recently that a mass-circumcision for underprivileged boys has gone off the tracks so surprisingly -- and publicly. Organizing officials may need to re-think their strategy for such events, if they want to avoid future embarrassments. Or discontinue the en masse events altogether? Comments Posted by concerned rais | March 21, 2009 I disagree with the said xenophobic comments of 'concerned citizen' (seen further below). Circumcision is practiced for many reasons, one of the most important being hygiene and penile freedom. To simply term barbaric and awful just shows the lack of awareness, both medical and otherwise, and an irreverence towards cultures who have different practices. Perhaps it may interest you to know that circumcision is widely adopted in the USA. Would this fact allay your fears? Posted by Cm | November 3, 2006 We recently purchased a house in Turkey; we were out there this past July, My neighbour's son was being circumcised and as a friendly gesture we were asked if we wanted to attend the festive fun. No, I said... but my 11-year-old son asked if we could go, so we went. Afterwards my son asked if he could be circumcised (due to tight foreskin). I also was circumcised (at age 23) due to foreskin problems. My son will be circumcised in a private clinic early in 2007 here in the UK. I now know that my son used the circumcision "sunnet" ceremony invitiation as a way of breaking the ice and bringing the subject up. Posted by Jen | October 31, 2006 Circumcision of Children... The foreskin is healthy, sensitive, and functional. Dressing children up and subjecting them to genital cutting is as much a human rights violation as FGM. Genital Integrity is a genderless birthright of EVERY child. Boys deserve equal respect and protection. Posted by concerned citizen | October 20, 2006 Barbaric! It would seem that Turks have succumbed to the evil of male circumcision, which is a much larger problem in terms of global popularity!

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