Belling the Hindu Cat - Male Circumcision

Preventing AIDS by cutting down illegitimate and unprotected sex or by safeguarding blood transfusions is well known. What comes next in row is interesting but has started spreading the sparks of controversies as well.

While reading a daily news tabloid, I came across this interesting and new-to-me topic which speaks about circumcised mail being less prone to AIDS - as less as 70%. No matter how well this might be proven or effective, whats more perturbing is the mentality of hindu fundamentalists who are not ready to accept this. To an extent, that a top notch hindu leader called this novice idea as a "sabotage to hindu faith". This I shall describe later.

The reasoning goes like this : Laboratory studies have found that the foreskin of the penis is rich in white blood cells, which are favored targets of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. So the theory is that men who are uncircumcised are much more likely to contract the virus during sex with an infected woman. This unpublished experiment has shown astounding results. The male circumcision has rightly been called as 'surgical vaccine'.

Although the apparent protective effect of circumcision has been noted for more than 20 years, doubts linger as to whether circumcision itself is protective, or whether the lower risk may be the result of cultural practices among those who circumcise. HIV rates are low in Muslim communities, for example, which practice male circumcision but also engage in ritual washing before sex and frown on promiscuity.

The National Aids Research Institute is planning to come up with a survey. Nothing to do with AIDS - but the ground work before fancying this novel idea could spread its boon is already being jeopardised. Bajrang Dal workers in Meerut have launched a campaign against the survey. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has also reacted strongly. The so called self proclaimed godfathers of hinduism have termed this concept as "obnoxious" and "a conspiracy". Leave apart AIDS, circumcision is known to reduce the risk of many fungal and bacterial infections (STDs) and also reduces risk of cervical cancer to partners of circumcised men. But who will bell the cat and make the hindu protagonists understand that there is far more better world if we look beyond our conservative school of thoughts.