German circumcision row could reach highest court

Germany's constitutional court may have the last word on religious circumcision, the justice minister said in remarks to appear tomorrow, after lawmakers called for a legal framework to protect the practice, Hurriyet reports.
 
Their resolution on Thursday came after a court in the western city of Cologne sparked nationwide debate by ruling last month to criminalise the practice - observed by both Muslims and Jews on religious grounds - deeming it tantamount to grievous bodily harm.
 
"It's more complicated than adding a simple little phrase somewhere," Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger told the weekly Der Spiegel.
 
"I wouldn't be surprised after this emotional debate if the law landed before the German constitutional court," said the minister, who belongs to the liberal Free Democratic Party, part of the government coalition.