Germany approves circumcision on boys

Germany's cabinet has approved a draft law protecting the right to circumcise infant boys, which it says will end months of legal uncertainty after a local court banned the practice, causing outrage among Muslims and Jews.

The new legislation, which must now be passed by the German parliament, "makes clear that circumcision is possible in Germany," said Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger in a statement.

The ministry added the new text would "remove the legal uncertainty created by the judgement of the regional court in Cologne."

While considering a case brought against a doctor who had circumcised a Muslim boy, the court in the western German city ruled that the rite was tantamount to grievous bodily harm.

The decision united Jewish and Muslim groups in opposition and caused outrage from religious and political leaders in Israel and Muslim countries.

Diplomats admitted that the ruling proved "disastrous" for Germany's international image, particularly in light of its Nazi past.

Merkel was reported to have warned that Germany risked becoming a "laughing stock" if it banned circumcision.

The new bill stipulates certain provisos for a boy to be circumcised.

The bill states that the operation should take place with the most effective pain relief possible and only if parents have been fully informed about the nature of the procedure.

About 120,000 Jews are registered as living in Germany along with around four million Muslims, many of them from Turkey.