Karim's Story

Karim's Story
I come from a Muslim family. Muslims circumcise at age 13. Not at infancy. I was circumcised at 13 with no pain killers. But I was proud to do it as Allah's commandment. However, if I had known the whole story about circumcision, I probably would not have had it done.

By the time I was 13, like most boys, I had already started masturbating years ago. I knew what I liked and a large portion of that was playing with my foreskin. Though I knew masturbation was wrong religiously, I regularly got erections at random and I had to take care of them. I admit that I did it for enjoyment at times as well. Anyway, after my circumcision, I definitely didn't masturbate as much. I no longer had the gliding motion of my foreskin and it definitely didn't feel as good anyway. So I very much lost interest in it. The idea about circumcision, male and female, preventing masturbation is very true in my experience.

Now, I'm 19. I've found the Quran doesn't mention circumcision. I feel very betrayed by people who told me to undergo circumcision to please God. The whole experience has made me question my faith. My son Malik was born last year and I am not raising him religiously or having him undergo circumcision.

Submitted by Karim from Tel Aviv, Israel. If you wish to comment on this story or contact Karim, please post in the comments section below.