ALGERIA: Algerian families circumcise sons in traditional Ramadan ceremony.

Record ID: 515925

  • Title: ALGERIA: Algerian families circumcise sons in traditional Ramadan ceremony.
  • Date: 30th July 2013
  • Summary: ALGIERS, ALGERIA (JULY 25, 2013) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF PAEDIATRIC SURGERY AT AL BIAR HOSPITAL CHILDREN WITH THEIR PARENTS WAITING TO BE CIRCUMCISED VARIOUS OF BOY IN TRADITIONAL DRESS WAITING VARIOUS OF CHILDREN IN TRADITIONAL DRESS POSING FOR PHOTOS AND PLAYING WITH TOYS PEOPLE STANDING AT ENTRANCE BOY CRYING AFTER CIRCUMCISION MOTHER CARRYING HER SON AFTER CIRCUMCISION A
  • Embargoed: 14th August 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Algeria
  • Country: Algeria
  • Topics: General,Health,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVAEA824UHROBZEJKN8XRUV56UN1
  • Story Text: Many Algerian families choose to have their sons circumcised during the holy month of Ramadan, with some charities helping to pay for the operation.
    Children, accompanied by their parents and relatives, wore traditional white garments and took part in a collective celebratory ceremony in the capital Algiers before having the surgery.
    But some families can't afford the cost of the operation or the ornate traditional clothes.
    "We are poor, he is nine years old, we live in a horrible place, I don't have the means to circumcise him," said one mother, Djamila.
    Charity, DZ United, is helping families in need with the costs and organised both the operation and ceremony.
    A father of one of the boys being circumcised said without the help of the charity, he wouldn't have been able to afford his son's operation.
    "I came to this association because the cost of living became too high, the clothes are expensive, this is the thing," said Baaziz Djafer, as he prepared his son for the ceremony.
    DZ United was created by a group of volunteers who collect money from private donors and organize charity events, including the circumcision ceremony.
    "The ultimate goal is that every person in need gets help, one way or another we could help him," said the charity's vice president, Hanna.
    This year, the charity chose the eve of the 15th day of Ramadan, on Tuesday (July 23) for the event.
    Parents and volunteers gathered with the children to dance and sing at the evening ceremony, the event is often regarded as a rite of passage for the children.
    Traditional musicians performed as people celebrated and some children had henna tattoos painted on their hands.
    The president of DZ United said he wanted to ensure that all families could enjoy the special occasion.
    "We organized the circumcision for a group of children that are our brothers here in Algiers, and we are happy with them on this night on the eve of the 15th day of Ramadan.
    We help them, we make them happy, and we are happy with them, of course," Nazim said.
    The ceremony took place at the Palace de Rais or 'Bastion 23', a historical building in the centre of the city.
    Parents then took their children to the Al-Biar hospital for the circumcision on Thursday (July 25) where some mothers ululated in joy after their sons had had the operation.
    For Muslims, the age at which circumcision is carried out varies according to family, country and branch of Islam.
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