Circumcision

Male circumcision (from Latin circumcidere, meaning "to cut around") is the surgical removal of the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis. It is estimated that one-third of males worldwide are circumcised. It is most prevalent in the Muslim world (where it is near-universal), parts of Southeast Asia, Africa, the United States and Oceania; it is relatively rare in Europe, Latin America, parts of Southern Africa, and most of Asia. The origin of circumcision is not known with certainty; the oldest documentary evidence for it comes from ancient Egypt. Various theories have been proposed as to how it began, including as a religious sacrifice and as a rite of passage marking a boy's entrance into adulthood. It is considered religious law in Judaism and established tradition in Islam to circumcise sons.