Circumcision

For relevant quotes see the Bahai9 compendium entry:

Circumcision

Circumcision, for males, consists of the removal of the protective foreskin from around the end of the penis. Shoghi Effendi has said "the Teachings bear no reference to this matter, and it is therefore not enjoined upon the believers." Traditionally, it is supposed to have been instituted by Abraham, the Manifestation of God living in the Near East before Moses. Every male Jew is required to have this carried out. It is usually performed on the child eight days after birth, and is performed by someone with expertise in the field. Muhammad, the Apostle of God, also required the same action to be performed.

The purpose of this custom can be debated. It may be that the performance of this custom reinforces the religious or cultural identity of those performing it. It may be that it serves as a reminder to the individual, through his later life, of his identity as a member of a religion, with concomitant responsibilities as to how he should behave. As the two religions which require it were both born in desert conditions, it may simply be a health law, eliminating the possibility of sand grains being trapped behind the foreskin and doing damage to the penis. On related grounds, some hospitals in Western countries apply the procedure to new-born males as a matter of course.

Its relevance to the Bahá'i Faith is somewhat tangential. As the Faith was born in a Muslim milieu, many Bahá'ís may have been circumcised when young. Acceptance of this practice as a cultural norm has led to the occasional expectation from parents of Middle Eastern background that it will be applied to their sons, while this expectation will not necessarily exist for Western parents.